I Cannot Emphasize How Little We Thought About This

At long last, the rundown of Thursday night’s television. The short version – NBC had a hell of night.

Spoilers... some pretty major. Be warned.

Community – “Competitive Wine Tasting” (B)

I love the way this show has embraced a bunch of different character couplings. There is no Ross and Rachel on this show. No Sam and Diane (that was for the old people – I don’t know why because they aren’t reading this). And not that I don’t like those two shows, it’s just refreshing to see a show explore all of its options without tying any of its characters into coupledom (though Parks and Rec did just that this week and the results were fantastic, just scroll down).

Let me break it down for you. In the pilot, before we really knew these characters, it looked like Jeff and Brita would be the show’s staple couple. While they did hook up, it’s never materialized into anything more than that. Since then Jeff has been linked to Annie, whose introduction as a potential love interest has been one of the more surprising yet interesting developments on this show. It started with some smalls signs of a spark as the two of them were paired up on the Greendale debate team, and escalated when they kissed at the end of the first season’s finale. This season we’ve seen a few sprinkles of attraction and the potential is still there for something to happen.

But Jeff and Brita are only one side of that equation, as Annie and Troy were also considered as an early pairing on the show, and even as recently as this season have been hinted at as a potential couple (Mixology Certification for those of you wondering what I’m referring to). Which leads me to this episode, where the writers decided to complicate things even more by introducing the possibility of a romance between Troy and Brita.

Now I don’t mind the new pairing that much. There haven’t been a whole lot of signs pointing in that direction (I believe Troy once referred to her as the AT&T of people), but I think that’s what this episode was about, and there’s definitely some potential there. If you remember back to the Valentine’s Day episode, Troy did say he was a looking for a girl who could tolerate his bromance with Abed, and Brita proved that last episode when she was paired up with the two of them. I can’t wait to see which one (if any) of these pairings actually end up in a relationship, because when it finally does happen it’s going to be awesome.

I kind of can’t believe I just spent 4 paragraphs talking about the romantic entanglements of the characters on this show, but I did, I don’t regret it. Just like Abed’s professor this week, I am not a fan, I am not a groupie, I am an academic. And I too am writing a book – Higher Yearning: An In Depth Analysis of the Relationships on Community.

I’m just too damn cute for my own good.

But while we’re on the subject of Abed, his side story this week was actually quite entertaining. I loved the aforementioned books of his professor – Who Indeed: A Critical Analysis of Television’s Who’s The Boss and What Was Happening? An Analysis of What’s Happening – and I also thought it was hilarious that Abed managed to empirically prove that Angela was indeed the boss.

I think one of my other favourite parts of this show (there are a quite a few) is the various guest professors they bring in. On top of Abed’s hilarious television prof in this one, we also got the return of Greendale’s resident acting coach, Professor Sean Garrity (Kevin Corrigan).  He was like a treasure trove of hilarious quotes. I especially loved his intense monologue about pain and acting after Troy admitted he had made up his story. I hope we see him back on campus again soon. He and that Carpe Diem accounting professor played by John Michael Higgins Jeff had back in the first season.

Jeff and Pierce’s storyline in this episode was probably the weakest. There wasn’t anything in particular that bothered me – both Jeff and Pierce stayed close to character – just not enough of the jokes were landing for me. Of all the storylines this was the one that seemed to drag. Though I did like the old Chevy Chase picture on the bottle of wine he handed to Jeff.

Some of my favourite quotes from the episode:

JEFF: Don’t preach to me about romance Annie, I had a three way in a hot air balloon.

BRITA: Hey, don’t take on his pain. Tend your own garden.

TROY: I wasn’t so much “molested”, as much as I “made it up”.

PROFESSOR GARRITY: Who would like to begin today?
TROY: I would, with a confession. My uncle never tried to stick his finger in my plop plop. I know I’m bummed about it too.

PROFESSOR GARRITY: The pain of not having enough pain is still pain young man. That may sound like an easy resolution, but we’re not writers, we’re actors. Story doesn’t matter here, all that matters is our time in the spotlight.

And line of the episode:

PROFESSOR GARRITY:  Uh for homework, drink a glass of cognac in a bathtub.

The Office – “Training Day” (A-)

Will Ferrell on The Office. It just seems right doesn’t it? Well on the whole it was right, and more importantly very, very funny. Ferrell’s style is just made for this type of show. Everything about his opening sequence with Michael was perfect. The two characters had an instant rapport with each other, which made for a slurry of hilarious lines. I’d planned on jotting down just a few of my favourite lines from this episode and literally ended up transcribing that entire scene.

His meetings with the rest of the cast were a little more hit and miss however, though I do think they were more hit than miss. I found the bit parts, like Darryl dressing like a cowboy or Kevin wearing a toupee, tended to be the weaker story threads in the episode. I also wasn’t a fan of Pam and Jim’s storyline. I thought Ferrell’s character came off as a little overly mean in those scenes. Not that he wasn’t right – parents are pretty annoying with their kids – but because most people in that situation would just feign interest, not call them out on it. I would have preferred something closer to what they did at the end of the episode, with Deangelo pretending to care and then the show cutting away to him expressing how off base Jim and Pam were.

But that’s not to say that all of Deangelo’s scarier moments weren’t funny. I thought his funny guy bit with Andy was pretty hilarious. I loved Andy’s desperate attempts to embrace his role and his “I guess this is my life now” line made me laugh out loud. My favourite moment of the episode though had to be Erin panicking as she answered the phone after Michael and Deangelo argued over how she should do it.

ERIN: I’m so sorry (hangs up).

She’s still one of the freshest characters on this show, and I continue to love her hilarious bond with Michael. Her shaving scene with him was extremely funny. I hope whoever ends up as Michael’s permanent replacement will be able to find at least a hint of the same chemistry with Erin.

But back to the episode at hand. I thought everything wrapped up quite nicely. Much like the bar scene before it, the backwards hug scene (as I’m calling it) was another great moment in Will Ferrell’s guest spot. The dialogue was hilarious, it cleared up some of the more extreme aspects of Deangelo’s personality, and it was another step forward in Michael handing over the reins of The Office. What more could you have asked for in an ending?

Before I hand you my favourite quotes though, I do want to point out Holly’s notable absence in this episode. I assume she left for Colorado early, but whatever the reason it was a little distracting she wasn’t there. Even just a throwaway line would have sufficed.

Anyways, my favourite quotes (I apologise that they’re all from Deangelo and Michael):

DEANGELO: To beginnings and endings.
MICHAEL: And middles, the unsung heroes.

DEANGELO: Doing some skiing?
MICHAEL: No no, I don’t want to end up like Sunny Bobo.
DEANGELO: Well that’s just good sense right there. Yeah, everyone I know who skis is dead.

MICHAEL: Know what, I would like to try the luge though.
DEANGELO: Try it once you’re hook. That’s my guess.
MICHAEL: That’s what I’ve heard.

DEANGELO: You know it’s funny, I actually tried to get an animal Olympics going.
MICHAEL: Really, what happened?
DEANGELO: You know, life happened.

MICHAEL: I happen to like the hilarious hijinks I get myself into.

DEANGELO: What is the Native American girl’s name?
MICHAEL: You’ll figure it out.

And the line of the episode (this is now a thing):

DEANGELO: Michael, the last time I was exposed to a peanut I was itchy for 3 days, okay. I had to take baths constantly. I missed the OJ verdict. I had to read about it in the paper like an idiot.

Parks and Recreation – “Fancy Party” (A)

This show is just so obviously in its prime it’s scary. Seriously, I have goose bumps. Every character is clicking, every joke is connecting, and somehow it doesn’t matter what they try, it always works out for them. Honestly, I thought the “I love you” storyline from “Harvest Festival” was too fast. If you had told me before this episode started that Andy and April were going to be married by the end of it, I would have seriously questioned the decision making of the writing staff on this show. But Andy and April’s wedding episode was not only hilarious, it was sweet enough it actually made me okay with them getting married. In fact now I can’t wait to see what happens with these two.

I think all of the worries about whether Andy and April would be able to maintain the momentum of their courtship as a couple were silenced in “Fancy Party”. They were both hilarious to watch with each other throughout the entire episode, from their party announcement at its beginning (with suggestions on what to bring), to their wedding vows, to their honeymoon video at the end.

And the party guests were fantastic. I’ve said this before, but the writers have filled this town with a delectable assortment of eccentric characters, and many of their wedding guests were an absolute treat for anyone who has watched this show from the beginning. I loved Jean-Ralphio’s appearance. His speech ideas were hilarious. Or how about the cameo from the guys from animal control – their dead bird bit was amazing. Even April’s sister had a few great moments in the episode. Her detached speech after the wedding had me laughing hysterically, especially since it somehow brought April to tears.

NATALIE: My sister’s lame, but Andy’s sort of cool. I guess I kind of see why he’d marry her. Also, if anyone finds my gray hoody I lost it, thanks.

And they aren’t even done giving us great new characters. All the jokes surrounding April’s morose friend Orin were fantastic. I loved Leslie and Ben’s gag at the end where they noticed Orin behind them and treated him like an animal hunting prey (“don’t panic because he can smell fear”). I think my favourite joke surrounding the character though was when he finally met up with Chris.

CHRIS: Exactly! Mortality. See I like to take each day at a time. There’s nothing in the world we can’t accomplish if we try.
ORIN: I have to go.

I feel like I write this every week so I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself, but I absolutely love Chris. He normally doesn’t play a huge role in any given storyline, but the writing for him whenever he’s on screen is terrific. He really didn’t have a bad line at all in this episode.

The writers are even doing a great job finding new sources of humour from the show’s more established characters. One of my other favourite recurring bits that’s just recently come about is Leslie’s stories about her long history of terrible relationships. She first brought up a list of them to make Ann feel better back in “Indianapolis”, and she added a few new ones in this episode.

LESLIE: One time I fell madly in love with a Civil War reenactor that I had only known for 6 hours, and then I found out he wore those clothes all the time... and he was married. But the clothes thing really bothered me.

LESLIE: Relationships are like scuba diving. If you come up to fast you get the bends. And the reason why I know this is because I was dating a guy once, and we were scuba diving, and I told him that I loved him underwater, and he shot up really fast and got the bends.

I’m also happy that they’ve finally nailed Ben down. I mentioned in my last review that I was hoping they would find a way to keep him in Pawnee soon, and they did just that in this episode. I very much liked the subtext between he and Leslie in their conversation early in the episode, and how April and Andy’s throw-caution-to-the-wind approach inspired Leslie to ask him to stay. I think their relationship will be the new will-they won’t-they now that Andy and April are married, but who knows. Considering how fast Andy and April got married they could be together by next week.

And like I said before, I literally can’t wait to see how their marriage will play out. A lot of the time the downfall of certain TV couples is the petty relationship drama that occurs after the original will-they won’t-they scenario. The wedding gets rid of all that. Now they’re a young couple – that the audience wants to see together – struggling through the early phases of marriage. Much more compelling than the typical “he won’t say he loves me” or “he kissed another girl/guy” storylines you usually get (plus they’ve already covered both of those with this couple anyway). The stakes are just higher. They stole a page out of the ole One Tree Hill playbook (who I assume previously stole it from someone else).

Now for my favourite lines. There were a lot of them so I apologise if I miss a few/do way to many:

RON: It’s always a good idea to demonstrate to your coworkers that you are capable of withstanding a tremendous amount of pain.

RON: (about Chris’s vegetable loaf) So not only does this thing exist, but now you have deprived everyone of cake.

DONNA: Dating is a zero sum game. If you get a man, I don’t get that man.

LESLIE: Are you sick? Are you terminal? Is it like that movie A Walk to Remember?

LESLIE: But relationships need planning. You just can’t jump into something without thinking. It took me 4 years to find the right hair dresser and we still fight all the time.

CHRIS: (reacting to being asked to be Andy’s best man) Nothing else in my entire life would make me happier as long as I live.

ANDY: (his wedding vow) April, you are the most awesome person I have ever known in my entire life. I vow to protect you from danger. I don’t care if I have to fight an ultimate fighter, or a bear, or him. Your mom! I would take ‘em down.
APRIL: Andy.
ANDY: I’m getting mad right now even thinking about it, I’m telling you.

ANDY: I cannot emphasize how little we thought about this.

And line(s) of the night:

LESLIE: April and Andy are about to get married.
BEN: Wow, my Brita filter is older than their relationship... wait a second, should I change my Brita filter?
LESLIE: I don’t know, it depends on how frequently you use it. Stay focused okay, please.

30 Rock – “I Heart Connecticut” (A-)

Be warned, this review will probably be more quote than opinion.

It’s so good to have Tracey back. Having Liz and Kenneth search for him was a just great idea for an episode. The two of them made a good team, and watching them try to get into Tracey’s head brought back that particular brand of Tracey Jordan craziness that the show has been missing of late. I can’t think of a gag they tried in this storyline that didn’t work. I loved the pizza academy scene, and hearing about Tracey’s signature pizza order – “Large cheese pizza with one slice taken out, so I can pretend I’m eating Pacman like my hero Blinky the ghost” – and all the different lengths Liz and Kenneth went to in order to think like Tracey:

LIZ: We had him Jack and we lost him, so Kenneth and I had to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to think like Tracey.  I ended up eating a swordfish dinner at a strip club and Kenneth grabbed a cop’s gun and shot a blimp.

And when they finally found Tracey it was like a gleeful tribute to the character. Tracey acted like the Tracey of old, and Liz Lemon, exhausted by the shear act of finding him, just let him go with it. In fact it was her comments about Tracey that really reminded me why I love the character so much.

LIZ: You’re Tracey Jordan! Hulk Hogan called you a dirt bag. The NAACP once hired someone to kill you. You wore a penis hat to Princess Diana’s funeral!
TRACEY: Because I had worn it to their wedding. It was special to the three of us.

Jenna and Jack’s movie project was equally enjoyable. I loved watching the metamorphosis of the movie over the course of the episode, and they had some other great side bits that worked out quite nicely as well. The little girls hopped up on cocaine cutaway was hilarious, and some of the writing discussions between Jack and Jenna were so shameless and so bizarre that I couldn’t help but laugh at thought of what must being going down on that page.

Pete’s story was the lone dull spot in the episode. I thought it was mildly funny that he seemingly gained his arm wrestling strength from fending off his children or that apparently the mark of a successful man is being able to afford appetizers at Outback Steakhouse, but the fact that it all ended up being some sort of fantasy (I wasn’t quite clear on what that was) kind of undercut the entire story. I guess the joke is how sad Pete’s fantasies are but I would have preferred them take it in a different direction there. What they gave us threw me off a bit.

But not so much that I didn’t enjoy the episode. So without further adieu, some of my other favourite quotes from “I Heart Connecticut”:

PETE: I lost my hair at a very early age when I hit that gypsy’s kid with my car.

FRANK: Oh so you’re doing a torture porn thing like saw.
JENNA: Exactly, in fact, the producers of this movie rented Saw and watched it.

JENNA: I met that soccer ball once at a no hands allowed sex party.

JACK: Did you make sure that Tracey wasn’t pretending to be his own wax figure at Madam Tussauds?
LIZ: Yes. There was some confusion and I ended up punching the real LeVar Burton.

And the line of the night, perhaps the funniest description of writers I’ve ever heard:

JENNA: Okay, we just need to hire some of those ugly people who have the paper and change the shapes on it.