Song(s) of the week

This week’s pick:

“Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People

Where I found Foster The People: I don’t know how underground these guys are with over 2 million hits on YouTube, but I figured I’d try to get the jump on them before they become really big. Carson Daly just did a feature on them so that’s what put them on my radar.

What I like: It’s one of those songs you just hear and instantly wish you’d thought of first. It’s got a fantastic bass line and the main hook is endlessly catchy, so much so that I’ve had a hard time getting it out of my head these past few days. I hope these guys do well.

Enjoy!

Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

Gagbismal

My last set of finales this season. This is a very bittersweet moment for me. The dot at the end of the 2010-2011 season. It’s been a good run.

Stay tuned throughout the summer though, I’ll figure out something to post. Maybe I’ll do a little listmaking, or some movie reviews, or maybe I’ll venture into some new category completely. Who knows, but whatever it is it should be awesome.

Spoilers...

Modern Family – “The One That Got Away” (B)

It’s a pity the producers didn’t go with last week’s episode for the season finale. For one, it was a graduation episode, which was a natural bookend in and of itself (named “See You Next Fall” if that wasn’t enough). And second, it was a much better episode than this week’s rather average affair. Even the obvious cliffhanger – Cam and Mitchell deciding to adopt another kid – didn’t really justify this episode as a finale. With the way ABC kept promoting one of the families making a major life decision, it wasn’t exactly hard to see what was coming.

I think maybe my problem with “The One That Got Away” was that the storylines were so fragmented it was hard to get invested in any of them. It was almost like an episode full of B stories. There were a few funny moments in each, but they were fleeting. Nothing really got fleshed out enough to leave any sort of lasting impression so as a whole “The One That Got Away” felt flat, perhaps even a little superficial.

I’m being hard on this episode, I know. If it were anything but the finale I wouldn’t be taking such issue with it, but finales need that extra kick and this episode just didn’t have it. With that said though, it’s not like it was all bad either. I’m starting to love the Pritchett’s new dog. That thing is freakin’ adorable. And you had to laugh at Gloria mistaking Jay’s desire to take up the saxophone for Jay’s desire to own a sexy phone.

I also really enjoyed Mitchell and Claire’s storyline. It’s a pity they didn’t get a little more screen time, but it was definitely fun watching them regress back to their childhoods. Their car ride home with Jay in the driver’s seat was by far the highlight of the episode for me. It makes you wonder why those two don’t get more storylines with each other, they have great chemistry.

Ed O’Neill deserves some serious credit for this episode as well. His story was one of the few that held up to the rather fragmented nature of the episode and a lot of that had to do with his strength as an actor. It’s was amazing just how funny watching Jay run errands could be, and the fact that most of them were for his own birthday party made it that much better. I especially liked his great little one-sided conversation with the dog groomer.

Looking back over this last season of Modern Family it’s been a pretty interesting year for the series. They’ve done their best to follow up their almost universally acclaimed first season by giving us some truly high quality episodes mixed in with a few average ones as well. Overall, I still think the series ranks as one of the better comedies on television today, but it’ll be interesting to see in what direction the third season takes us, whether the writers will be able to maintain to the quality of the show or whether it’ll start to taper off as many do in time. Modern Family still has a great cast so if the writing staff can keep giving them decent material, everything should work itself out nicely. Here’s hoping for many more funny seasons to come. 

** Note ** I did a little Wikipedia digging and it turns out last week’s episode was originally intended as the finale. It’s a pity they didn’t stick with their original instinct. ** Note **

Now for the quotes:

CAM: She’s gonna like you even if sports aren’t your thing.
MANNY: Aren’t my thing? I have a tennis racquet upstairs I only use as a bubble bath frother.

MITCHELL: Okay, that’s trespassing.
CLAIRE: No it’s not, we used to live here.
MITCHELL: I don’t think that does what you think it does.

MANNY: The catch part went fine... mostly. I took a running dive into the dirt.
CAM: Oh well, did you at least catch the ball?
MANNY: I was trying to throw the ball!

CAM: Gloria asked me to handle this. She’s going to yell at me Jay! She can be mean in Spanish.

CAM: Not so good with the bat?
MANNY: I am, as long as I’m using it to roll out dough.

JAY: You know what; I’m acting like a jerk. What am I 12?
LUKE: Hey!

And line of the episode:

JAY: (talking about a dog groomer) You know who did your job in my day? A hose.

Cougar Town – “Something Good Coming” (B+)

You’re right Ted, Hooch is crazy.

You have no idea how enormously happy it made me to see Ted Buckland back on television again. It really didn’t matter what happened in the rest of the episode, “Something Good Coming” was going to score high marks just for that cameo. I do have one question though – if Ted ran into Ellie (played by the lovely Christa Miller, who also played Jordan on Scrubs) in this episode would it have somehow ripped a hole in the space-time continuum?

It’s probably a good thing we didn’t find out. But regardless of the (imaginary) risks, I would love to see a few more of these Scrubs cameos. I was little sad that Gooch had apparently left Ted and ran off with Hooch (Laurie’s right, he didn’t stand a chance) but just watching Ted be Ted again was a delight. I loved his ability to turn any happy song into a sad song. I didn’t realize how much I missed Sam Lloyd’s music.

And yet the amazing part about this episode is that Ted Buckland wasn’t the only awesome cameo in it. If you looked closely in the background of the scene where Laurie tried to convince Trav to go back to college, besides a pretty blatant Subway plug (it sucks, but if it keeps the show on the air so be it) you would have found Danny Pudi, aka Abed from Community. Now there’s a couple reason why this cameo was so great. First off, Busy Philipps and Dan Byrd both made cameos in the Community season finale, so it was nice to see Cougar Town get their own cameo. And second, in Community’s My Dinner with Andre parody “Critical Film Studies” Abed actually told Jeff that he had done a background spot on Cougar Town. I mean, you’ve just got to love it when shows follow up on obscure crap like that.

Phew, that was a lot of time spent on cameos. As for the rest of the episode, I thought the trip to Hawaii went over pretty well. I liked the pairing of Bobby with Andy and Ellie. Andy and Bobby had some truly great bromance moments, my favourites being their secret door knocking language and the fact that Andy had to take Bobby bed shopping because the two of them “like the same firmness.” I also thought the whole toothbrush incident with Ellie was hilarious. The way Bobby and Andy kept compounding the lies just made it funnier and funnier.

I had a more mixed reaction to Grayson and Jules however. I really liked their ending. I’m happy the two of them didn’t break up over whether or not to have children, and I thought Jules’ “I would go on any adventure with you” line was an especially sweet way to finish off the episode, but much of the build-up to that moment was very missable. As much as I loved Jules’ morning routine song, their condom search wasn’t very funny, and a lot of the time this storyline felt like it was spinning its wheels just waiting for that ending to come.

The one thing I found a little peculiar about this episode was the Laurie/Trav storyline. I found it odd that Laurie went about convincing Trav to go back to college by basically seducing him and then pulling back the curtain to show him how stupid it is to make decisions based on chasing girls. I certainly can’t say I’ve seen a story like that one before. Don’t get me wrong, there was something oddly thoughtful about what she trying to do, it was just a strange way to go about it.

But I guess there’s always been something strange about Cougar Town, it’s actually what makes the show so enjoyable. And I do have to give them credit – they’ve won me over this past season. Before this year I barely gave Cougar Town a second thought and now I consider it one of my favourite shows. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for next season. I was reading somewhere that it’s going to be Bill Lawrence’s last, so hopefully he’s got a few great ideas saved up for his final season.

Now for the quotes:

JULES: So I called your college and told them you left school because your grandma has syphilis. It’s okay... there’s a little truth to that.
TRAV: Nana Cobb?
JULES: We’re moving her to a less swingy retirement home.

JULES: I don’t believe in ghosts because if they were real I’d like to think that I would be felt up all the time.

LAURIE: Just give me my parameters. Is middle school style okay – under the shirt over the bra – or are we going full on 9^th grade in which case I’m going to need to rent a hotel room or maybe a boat.

JULES: I just got the chills... or I was just felt up by my first ghost.

JULES: He lives in a shack. He sits on the beach all day and parties all night. What kind of life is that?
LAURIE: An awesome one.

JULES: Oh my god, I want to snort this!

JULES: (singing her morning routine song) Brush your teeth/wash your face/take your pills so you won’t get pregnant.

LAURIE: You know in ancient times Hawaiian warriors to prove their manhood would wait right here and battle sea turtles as they came in to breed.

And the quote of the episode:

JULES: It’s for the lady who likes to lounge by the pool but also get paid for sex.
LAURIE: You can do that? Is that a job?

You’re Right, Much Better

Two more season finales, this time for House and The Event. Be careful of the House review if you don’t want anything spoiled for next season, the sixth paragraph has some sensitive information. It’s all in the article though. Enjoy!

House – “Moving On” (B+)

Moving on may be a bit of an understatement. When House acknowledged something needed to change last week, I honestly didn’t think it would mean car through Cuddy’s dining room. That ending certainly is a game changer for the series, and I really don’t know what’s going to happen next season. I’m pretty sure House isn’t going to be allowed back in the hospital for a while. I’m also pretty certain that trying to do so will get him arrested.

Of course that wasn’t really the ending. “Moving On” actually started with the fallout from House’s actions, and that fallout framed the episode from there on out. It’s a pretty classic narrative technique, it’s just unfortunate that the writers thought it would be enough to carry what was otherwise a fairly bland episode through to its much more exciting conclusion.

I mean ending aside, this was a pretty standard episode of House. The patient may have had a few quirks, but for the most the part she was just the typical case of the week, and to me that just doesn’t cut it for a season finale. Last week’s episode may not have had the same shocking ending, but at least it tried to do something different. I would have liked to see a little more of the inspiration in this one (though to be fair House’s injury from the last episode is probably what kept us confined to hospital).

I do like that House left the country though. Actually, if he hadn’t done it because he was running from the authorities it would have been a nice way to conclude his character (and obviously the show). He looked so calm as he walked along the shoreline.

I really hope that the writers use this ending to shake up the show next season. Don’t just somehow explain his way back into the hospital. Break the mould a little. Keep him in the tropics, or throw him in a prison if you have to. Or back into the mental hospital, one of the all time great episodes of this series.  Even getting him a job at a different hospital would at least be a change of pace. But whatever it is, use it to change the formula. There’s always going to have to be a medical aspect to House, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the same formula. House is an interesting character with or without the mind bending patients. Use that.

** Major spoilers for next season **

The one sad note of this ending is that it means House and Cuddy likely won’t see each other again. If you haven’t heard already Lisa Edelstein won’t be returning next season, so unless she decides to do a guest appearance to write her character off, Cuddy’s story will likely end with her finally giving up on House. It’s not as if she was super important to the show anymore – these days she barely even puts up a fight when it comes to House’s hijinks – but I still would have liked to see the two of them end on at least somewhat good terms.

But again, with change comes opportunity. This was a very up and down season of House, and it’s pretty clear to me that if they stick to the traditional format come September this show won’t last much longer. Hopefully this finale gives House the creative shot in the arm it so desperately needs.

The Event – “Arrival” (B)

So it all ends in a giant cliffhanger... how unfortunate. I’ll admit, I was pretty intrigued by the sight of a whole planet coming through the wormhole, especially the part where the First Lady called it home. (I knew she was an NTB!) I might have liked to see how next season played out.

Still, it’s easy to set up cliffhangers, it’s much harder to pay them off, and as interesting as the ending was, the episode was still plagued with many of the same problems evident throughout the series. The plot to stop Sophia’s rollout of the virus was a perfect example. The set up was way too convenient, explained mostly in expository dialogue, and for some reason Sophia herself was involved with the implementation of the virus. That last one makes absolutely no sense to me. There were plenty of other NTBs who could have done that job, why would they risk losing their leader for nothing?

The other thing that had me a little annoyed was Simon’s teaser to Sean about the true background of the NTBs. It’s always annoying when a character starts to reveal a secret and then gets interrupted, but this whole figure-out-how-to-read-the-scroll thing Simon threw into that mix was especially irritating. One because we’ll probably never get the answers, and two, because if he already knew what it said than why couldn’t he just tell him?

As for the rest of the episode it was fairly hit or miss. It was nice to see the President finally stick it to Jarvis. That was certainly a long time coming. I was a bit more wary about Leila being pregnant though. It didn’t come as a huge shock when the doctor told her they’d found something in her blood work, but is that even possible? I can’t really speak for the timeline of this series, but it feels like it’s been too long since those two saw each other for that to happen.

Either way, it’s been a tumultuous run for the series, and frankly I’m not entirely sad to see The Event go. There have been talks of Netflix potentially picking up the series ala the Friday Night Lights formula, but regardless I probably won’t be watching it, so this is it for me. Farewell, The Event... I wish I could say it’s been fun.

I Am Very Glad You're Here

The season finale of Grey’s...

Grey’s Anatomy – “Unaccompanied Minor” (B+)

Grey’s has been the master of the season finale over the last couple of seasons, and honestly, I didn’t envy the writers before this one. There was no way they could ever match the intensity of a main character dying or a shooter in the hospital, they’d have to do it another way, and their options were limited. What we ended up getting was a much more scaled back, character based affair lacking some of the bigger moments present in previous finales, but overall “Unaccompanied Minor” hit more than it missed.

I think maybe the biggest moment in the finale was Owen kicking Christina out. (Meredith and Derek were big too, I’m getting there). This marriage has been in trouble since its inception, and I think of all the big developments in this episode this one is the most likely to stick. The storyline was comprised mainly of one on one scenes between Sandra Oh and Kevin McKidd and I thought both actors did an exceptional job of carrying the drama. Sandra Oh was especially convincing in showing just how little Christina wanted a child. It’s heavy subject matter, and it’s not a storyline with an easy resolution, so it should be interesting to see where these two land next season. I mean if Christina’s living with Meredith she might just end up with a baby anyway.

As for Meredith and Derek this week, I found their storyline left me wanting more. Nothing really got resolved in this episode. The FDA didn’t get involved with the trial, Meredith got suspended in a very wait and see type fashion, and Derek cast doubts on their relationship, but didn’t go so far as to break it off like Owen did. Everything seemed more like a stall tactic than legitimate plot development, and it took a lot of the bite out of the story.

I did like watching Meredith and Zola though. I’m not sure how long this fight with Derek will last (they won’t ever completely break up) or how they’d ever justify him ignoring the baby, but it may be fun to watch Meredith play single mom for a little while. Just from the few hours she spent alone with baby Zola in this episode it would clearly be fun to watch, particularly because of Meredith’s background with her mom. Her character really lends itself to the baffled new parent storyline.

Of course a lot of the best parts of this episode came from the supporting characters. I’ve expressed my love of Henry and Teddy many times in the past, so naturally I was thrilled to see them finally get together. I loved the scene right before they kissed where Henry angrily sent her away while for the first time bluntly expressing his feelings. I sincerely hope that Scott Foley becomes a regular part of the show next season.

I was also quite happy that Kepner got Chief Resident. I know a lot of people don’t necessarily like Kepner and wanted the job to go to one of the original cast members but honestly I think the writers made the right decision. Neither Karev nor Meredith, the two original residents still in the running, would have been a good fit for the job. Story wise there are a lot better uses for those two than watching them adapt to the Chief Resident position. Meredith has a kid now and Alex is an outcast who needs to somehow win back his peers. Let’s watch them deal with that. Kepner really gets the most out of the storyline. She’s a sensitive, socially awkward girl who’s being thrown into a position where building relationships and making hard choices is the key to success. Personally, I can’t wait to watch that.

And as for the charge that she’s not likable, I couldn’t disagree more. Early on, when she was in her brownnosing phase, sure she was a little annoying. Most of the Mercy West hires were. But over the course of this past season the writers have really fleshed out her character, giving her backstory, desires, emotions, and because of that she’s turned from an annoying suck up to an underdog character worth rooting for, at least in my opinion anyway.

As for the whole Mark, Avery, and Lexie love triangle I’m going to veer away from popular opinion once again here and say that I’m happy they’re keeping Avery and Lexie together, if only for the time being. I liked Lexie’s little speech to Mark about still loving him but wanting to be happy. By no means do I think this issue is closed – she did say she loved him after all – but just like I said last week, Avery’s a stand up guy and if their relationship is given some time to develop maybe it won’t be Mark and Lexie who are meant to be together, it’ll be Avery and Lexie.

My big criticism of this episode is that with all the major plot developments going on the crashed jetliner subplot just seemed really jammed in. Early on I sort of enjoyed the non-action of the storyline as it ran contrast to the past year’s season finale, but as things started to develop with some of the more prominent characters it didn’t seem right to devote the kind of screen time they did to the families of the victims. While it was a nice story, it was virtually standalone, and I care a lot more about what’s going on with the regular cast than I do a group of characters I haven’t seen before and likely won’t again.

Overall though “Unaccompanied Minor” was a good episode. It didn’t pack the same kind of dramatic punch as last year’s finale, but trying to top a gunman in the hospital would have been a mistake anyway. Instead the writers did what they needed to do, providing a toned down offering full of plenty of great character moments and exciting possibilities for next season.

Song(s) of the week

The picks:

“In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, “Holland, 1945”, and “Oh Comely” by Neutral Milk Hotel

Where I found Neutral Milk Hotel: With Parks and Recreation coming to such a satisfying conclusion on Thursday I thought I’d pay tribute to the show by featuring April’s favourite band. I apologise to all the diehard fans out there who are cringing at the Parks and Recreation reference (I assume they found out about this band immaculately), but while the story of Jeff Magnum and Neutral Milk Hotel all seems vaguely familiar (Wikipedia that, it’s very interesting) Parks and Rec was really the first time I’d ever heard of them. Really, if you like the band so much perhaps you shouldn’t have kept them such a closely guarded secret.

What I like: The level of songwriting is incredible. The arrangements are fantastic – never boring, never the same, always moving. The lyrics are random and scattered, something I’d usually dismiss as poetic pandering if they didn’t have such an odd sense of purpose. And Magnum’s voice – probably the reason for all that purpose – is rugged and emotive, perfectly guiding the listener through songs broken into multiple sections and time signatures (see “Oh Comely”). Neutral Milk Hotel has to be one of my better finds in a very long time.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel


Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel


Oh Comely - Neutral Milk Hotel

Low Blow Puppet

The long awaited season finales of The Office and Parks and Recreation. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

The Office – “Search Committee” (B+)

Three weeks after Michael left Dunder Mifflin for Colorado the search for his replacement was on, and it’s fair to say the candidate pool was large. With guest stars as varied as Warren Buffett and Jim Carrey, and a potential role in the series on the line, “Search Committee” was an audition as much as it was an episode. So who do I think is going to get the job?

Well let’s start with who I don’t think will get the job.  I think it’s fair to say Warren Buffett won’t be around next season, but I certainly admired the cameo. He held his own in that conference room. It also won’t be Will Arnett, as his pilot just got picked up for next season. Too bad, because I thought he would have been a good fit with the cast (I do want to see his new show though). Still, he was funny in this episode.

Ray Romano – who I also don’t think will get the job – stood out to me as one of the better guest appearances. I just loved how neurotic his character was. I mean Merv was exactly what you’d expect a character played by Ray Romano would be, but that didn’t make him any less entertaining. I think his little closing monologue was the best of the bunch (although I also loved Jim Carrey’s brief appearance as the Finger Lake’s guy).

MERV (RAY ROMANO): Honestly I think I sabotage myself. It’ s like I’m afraid of being happy. Case in point: I was supposed to start another job today.

And then there was Ricky Gervais who popped in via web cam with a very one sided interview. He was never really a serious contender before this episode but it was still nice to get another cameo from David Brent.

I think it’s also worth noting the new boss will likely come from outside of the Scranton branch. Picking one of the existing characters could really upset the balance of the office, and I just don’t see the writers taking that risk. I won’t dismiss the possibility entirely, but it’s a long shot at best. Of the four current office members up for the job (Dwight, Andy, Kelly and Darryl) I’d say Andy has the best shot. Dwight was good for an episode but there’s no way they could keep that funny indefinitely. Kelly just joined the search committee, so she’s effectively out of the running. And Darryl gave one of the more awkward interviews in the episode, so I’d be surprised if it was him. I know he was an early favourite but I’m not really feeling him as the boss.

Which leaves me with the two contenders  – James Spader and Catherine Tate. Both seem to be unattached to any other projects for next season and both showed promise in the role. Tate’s Nellie Bertram came across to me as probably the closest to Michael. She sort of looked to tell the search committee exactly what they wanted to hear while being mildly inappropriate all at the same time. That makes her probably the least harmful to the status quo. Plus, it might be cool to add a Brit to the cast.

Spader’s character Robert California was a different entity entirely. He had a really cool energy to him and seemed to be able to control whatever room he was in. It’s also worth noting that of all the outside candidates he got by far the most screen time. His scene with Dwight in particular was fantastic. He managed to be charismatic and ridiculous all at the same time.

And honestly, choosing between those two is where I’m having trouble. Tate is probably the safer bet. Like I said, she’s the closest to Michael and therefore the least harmful to the existing structure of the series. And sure, her interview didn’t go well, but the fact that she knows Jo personally makes that easy to get around. Spader on the other hand could bring a really cool new vibe to the show. I don’t entirely have the pulse on his character yet –I’d need to see more of him to really judge – but what I did see I liked. Obviously, whoever they pick is going to have some big shoes to fill.

As for the rest of the episode, I’ve got to say everybody was really on their game. Kathy Bate’s had a great guest appearance as Jo, absolutely killing every time she was on screen. I love how frank and unpredictable that character is. The way she immediately cuts through any type of bull shit and yet still goes with her gut whenever she feels like it. She’s fun to watch.

She also sent Gabe back to Florida, which was a bit of a surprise. Although, now that Erin’s broken up with him there’s not much left for his character to do, so perhaps it was a good thing the writers wrote him off sooner rather than later. Of course I’m only assuming he’s gone for good, and to be fair he was funny in this episode. But if the relocation does end up being permanent does that mean Jordan is here to stay? I couldn’t help but notice they’ve kept her around these last few episodes.

And then there was Erin and Andy. As excruciatingly awkward as that puppet scene was, I still like these two together. Mostly I just want to see Erin happy though. She’s such a sweet character and she’s had such a hard life. Even Phyllis couldn’t bring herself to tell her they weren’t related. I guess she was just one of those Porkey’s babies.

Last thing (because this review is out of control) – Creed as acting manager was absolutely hilarious. I almost want them to delay the search just so we can get a little more of Creed the boss, making acronyms and conducting meetings with no one. When you think about it, it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to Jim’s dream of a manager-free office.

My favourite lines:

ANDY: In my family you don’t really go out and get things. If you want something you write it on a list, and then the house keeper goes out and gets it on Wednesdays and Fridays.

DWIGHT: Bread is the paper of the food industry. You write your sandwich on it.

ROBERT (JAMES SPADER): Do you feel heard right now Jim. Do you have a voice right now? You can answer me.
JIM: (hesitantly) Yes.
ROBERT: That was your choice, not mine.

ANGELA: And then he put this flower behind my ear, which normally I would hate because it’s so civil rightsy.

ANGELA: (imitating Jim) Oh hey Pam, dude. Whatever, want to marry me?
PAM: That’s not accurate.

GABE: I have two relationships with Andy. I have a personal relationship and I have a professional relationship. Personally, yeah, I think he’s a rat and I think he’s responsible for the demise of my relationship with Erin. Professionally, he broke up the happiest couple in this office.

RYAN: Little advice. Take a day off from the whole Jim shtick. Try caring about something. You might like how it feels... James.

JO: These are costing me 10 cents apiece you jack ass. I’m roaming!

ERIN: Jo you have one more candidate. He’s a burn victim.
JO: Huh?
ERIN: He’s all messed up. I can tell him to get lost if you want.

ANDY: Sometimes you hear people talking about failing upwards. I think I’m about to do that.

And line of the episode:

GABE: Shut up about the sun. SHUT UP ABOUT THE SUN!

Parks and Recreation – “The Bubble” (A-)

I know NBC promoted “The Bubble” and “Li’l Sebastien” like they were one big season finale, but they were actually two very different episodes so I’m going to review them separately. Of course, if you still want to think of them as one big episode than feel free to treat this like one big review. I will not be offended.

I’m so happy that Chris sent Tom up to the 4^th floor. I say this every week and I’m sorry for repeating myself, but the best part of this show is the richly detailed city that the writers have created. The 4^th floor is just another hilarious part of City Hall’s mythology, and I loved every minute we spent up there. I loved that Ethel decided she was going to punk Tom, I loved Andy’s complete embrace of his new surroundings, and I loved that Chris decided to council some random woman he found crying in the hallway.

And yet none of that really describes the horrible conditions on that floor. I thought it was particularly hilarious that Ethel told Andy and Tom not to move too much around because technically their office was still a crime scene. Oh and who could forget the random guy who barged in on Andy, Tom, and April and violently broke a coffee pot... “tell Mort I said your move.” All part of working on the 4^th floor. Tom probably had the best description:

TOM: The 4^th floor. Small claims court, divorce filings, state ordered drug tests. It’s somehow both freezing and humid. There’s a whole room on the 4^th floor where they store the knives they’ve confiscated from people who went to the 4^th floor to stab someone.

I also enjoyed Chris’ reshuffling of the Parks department. All of his changes were fantastic, but by far the best was that swivel chair. Watching Chris demonstrate how it worked was definitely one of the highlights of the episode. Of course watching Ron sit miserably at that desk was pretty damn funny as well. And really the best part of the whole ordeal was Ron’s meeting with Chris where he tried to get him to change everything back.

RON: Okay, you won’t ever hear me say this again so savour this moment... I may have a compromise.

If there was one story in this episode that was maybe a little slow it was Ben and Leslie’s run in with her mother. The storyline was still really funny – there were certainly a few great lines out of the the two of them – it just moved a little slower than some of the other plotlines. I like Leslie and Ben as a couple, but they sometimes hinder themselves by over discussing their relationship, and that’s what ended up happening here.

And now for the quotes:

APRIL: I put poisonous gas in one of these balloons so if any of them pops you may die.
ANDY: No, April we would all die. Gases fill the volume of whatever container they are in... school.

ANN: How many of you are in here?
LESLIE: There’s 7, and you have an office mate. His name is Stuart and he’s kind of a grouch.
ANN: I have an office mate?
STUART: (sticking his head through the balloons) Get these fucking balloons out of here.

LESLIE: You know what I should do. I should get my mother a one-way ticket to London leaving today, and that way Ben never has to meet and I can visit her in London. Everybody wins.

LESLIE: Stuart please! Could you give us like 45 minutes?
STUART: It’s my office too...
LESLIE: Stuart! (he leaves) That guy was rude.

TOM: I did recently sell my Chronicles of Riddick DVD on EBay for $10. Used the profits to buy the Blu-ray.

CHRIS: Andy, starting now you are nobody’s shoe shine boy. Starting now, you are an administrative assistant... for three weeks. Then back to shoes.

ANDY: Chris! I wasn’t super paying attention to what you just said that we’d be doing but I will give 110%... as soon as you repeat yourself in a more interesting way.

BEN: I mean at one point for no reason I just took off my shoes and held them in my hand.

RON: You made April assistant to everyone. You know who April hates? Everyone.

ANDY: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I read that once on a can of lemonade, but I like to think that it applies to life.

And line of the episode:

TOM: No, I hate the 4^th floor. Last time I was up there I saw someone buy Crystal Meth out of a vending machine.

Parks and Recreation – “Li’l Sebastien” (A+)

As many of you may well know, I’ve watched a lot of season finales over these last few weeks. Now granted I still have a few more to go, but so far none of them have held a candle to “Li’l Sebastien”, and I kind of doubt any will. This episode was remarkable achievement in and of itself. It managed to pay tribute to the season that was by bringing back many of our favourite characters – Tammy, Jean-Ralphio, and of course Li’l Sebastien (may he rest in peace) – and yet, like any good season finale, pushed the series forward in new and exciting directions.

Right off the bat, Li’l Sebastien’s memorial service served as an excellent anchor for the episode. You’ve got to love this town’s unhealthy obsession with that mini-horse. From Tom’s hilariously dubbed video (he took on a British accent for the role) to Andy’s incredibly funny “5000 Candles in the Wind”, there were times I was laughing so hard I had trouble hearing what was happening next.

I think my favourite part of the whole thing though was Ron. Ron being who Ron is makes his obsession with Li’l Sebastien all the more hilarious, and his role in the memorial service was definitely the best. I loved his self directed military manoeuvres as he went about lighting the eternal flame (yes, eternal flame) in Li’l Sebastien’s memory and his speech before the torch lighting... well let’s just say I’ll take any excuse to hear a Ron Swanson speech. That man should teach public speaking.

RON: I have cried twice in my life. Once when I was 7 and I was hit by a school bus, and then again when I heard that Li’l Sebastien had passed. His memory will live on, as today we light a fire that will burn on for eternity.

Chris was also fantastic in this episode. I loved what the writers did with him here. Having a character realize their own mortality is a pretty common sitcom trope, but the fact that Chris realized his over a bout of tendinitis was just genius writing. And he took it so hard too, pretty much re-examining his entire outlook on life. I think my favourite part was when Ann told him that Li’l Sebastien had died and he asked her if tendinitis had anything to do with it.

CHRIS: Oh my god, death is inescapable.

And it looks like from that brush with death Chris decided to attempt to get back together with Ann. I’m not sure how Ann’s going to react to that proposition considering her embarrassment of over the way he broke up with her the first time, but I think it’s probably a good move by the writers. Ann and Chris are really funny with each other – just look at this episode – and getting them back together would be really fun to watch. I’m always a fan of some will-they won’t-they sexual tension.

But the possibility of Ann and Chris dating again wasn’t the only promising development in this episode. First off, we had Leslie being approached to run for office. I can’t even wait to see how that story will play out. The thought of a local Pawnee election sends chills down my spine. Plus it throws an interesting wrench into her relationship with Ben. It’s the old ambition versus love conundrum and as much as Leslie clearly likes Ben, she’s been voicing her dreams of political office since the beginning of the show.

I also can’t wait for the reveal of Tammy 1, Ron’s first ex-wife. One, because Ron has hilariously named her Tammy 1. And two, because when crazy Tammy, Ron’s second ex-wife named Tammy, runs away just at the sheer mention of her name, you know that the character is going to be something special.

And finally, the last big development in this episode was Tom leaving the Parks Department to join Jean-Ralphio’s high end all media entertainment conglomerate 720 Entertainment. I’m not too worried about Tom not coming back – just judging from the little after credits sequence that business is going to fail – but if they do keep him away from the Parks Department for a little while it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. For one, we may get to see a little more of Jean-Ralphio, by far my favourite recurring character on this show.

I’m a little sad it’s all over. It’s going to be a long summer without this show. I am not exaggerating when I say you will not find a funnier show on television than Parks and Recreation. If you don’t watch this show, start. You won’t be disappointed.

My favourite quotes:

5000 Candles in the Wind Lyrics (or at least what I could get)

Up in horsey heaven here’s the thing
You trade your legs for angel’s wings
And once we’ve all said goodbye
You take a running leap and you learn to fly
Bye bye Li’l Sebastien
Miss you in the saddest fashion
Bye bye Li’l Sebastien
Your 5000 candles in the wind

TOM: No I got it. You create Pawnee’s first and only high end all media entertainment conglomerate.
JEAN-RALPHIO: That’s absolutely what I have to do. What does it mean?

JEAN-RALPHIO: Listen to me, I’m gonna need you on my team to pull this off, alright. I can’t do this without you.
TOM: I don’t know man, I can’t. I’d have to quit my job.
JEAN-RALPHIO: Mmm Okay, I’ll do it without you.

LESLIE: Welcome everyone. Sebastian may have been Li’l but his impact on this town and the Parks Department was anything but Li’l.

TOM: Who are we? Where are we going in life? What is the meaning of all of this? These are questions that Li’l Sebastien never had to answer, because he was a horse.

JEAN-RALPHIO: Hope you brought a change of clothes, cause your eyes are about to piss tears.

JEAN-RALPHIO: You can’t die full of regret. Why don’t you live your life like that cow from the video.
TOM: He was a horse.
JEAN-RALPHIO: Yeah, because he followed his dreams.

RON: I think if you would know one thing about me, it would be that I prefer laying wreaths to lighting torches.

CHRIS: What’s the point of doing 10,000 push-ups if you’re going to do them alone? I’d much rather do 5000 push-ups with a wonderful woman... sitting on my back to increase my resistance.

WOMAN: We really enjoyed the service. That fireball was truly amazing.
LESLIE: I’m glad ‘cause it was planned.

And line of the episode:

RON: When I walked in this morning and saw the flag at half-mast, I thought alright, another bureaucrat ate it. But then I found out it was Li’l Sebastien... half-mast is too high. Show some damned respect!

What’s The Plan MaGayver?

I can’t wait for The Office and Parks and Rec finales tonight. You can look forward to those reviews tomorrow. In the mean time, here’s last night’s Modern and Family and Cougar Town to tide you over.

Spoilers.

Modern Family – “See You Next Fall” (A-)

“See You Next Fall” was exactly the kind of episode that won Modern Family that Emmy for best comedy last year. Well, you know... that or voting politics. The point is this week’s episode was a good one. It was sentimental without being overly sentimental, it featured the whole cast as an ensemble, and most importantly, it was really, really funny.

Claire and Phil led the way with several of my favourite moments from the episode. I loved all of Phil’s attempts to set off an emotional reaction from Claire before Alex’s graduation so he could go to Vegas the next day. His little aside to the camera about what it would be like to tell his male cheerleader friends he can’t come to Vegas had to be the funniest line in the episode.

I also loved the scene where Claire professed to Phil her fear of losing Alex just like she did Hayley. It managed to be touching and hilarious all at the same time, and it set up a pretty great ending. Watching Claire and Phil lock Haley in the middle of a group hug was a heck of a way to cap off the episode.

I think the real heart of this episode though was the excellent side story between Alex and Haley. Not only was it quite funny, but it really did a great job of framing the episode thematically. Obviously my favourite scene, probably of the entire episode, was Haley’s passionate speech about everybody having their “stuff”, or in other words insecurities. It was a very thoughtful, sincere speech and I love how it showed us some of the different layers of Haley’s character. Both Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter deserve a ton of praise for this episode.

I was also quite happy with Mitchell and Cameron’s story this week. I went off on them a little in my last review, but I really liked what the writers did with them here. They gave them a great side plot while still allowing them to interact with the entire ensemble. Plus they let Eric Stonestreet go nuts with the physical comedy. I’m definitely a Pritchett because watching Cam twice walk into the screen door was absolutely hilarious.

The only story thread I was a little torn on was Jay’s Botox. It set Gloria up for a few good punchlines, and they used his facial disfigurement for some pretty solid gags (I love how repulsed Alex was when she first saw his face) but Jay’s never really struck me as the Botox type and in the end it felt a little contrived. Still, it did tie in nicely with the theme of everybody having their own insecurities, so perhaps I’m just splitting hairs.

My favourite quotes:

PHIL: It’s happening people; our hubris will be our undoing.

ALEX: So what? Mohandas Ghandi went on a hunger strike for what he believed in.
HALEY: That’s ‘cause no one would eat with him in the cafeteria.

MANNY: Do you realize in two years you and I will be graduating.
LUKE: Not now, I think I’m moving the ball with my mind.
MANNY: Well, I’ll be graduating.

LUKE: I think I’ve got a good idea.
PHIL: We don’t have time to build a rocket buddy.
LUKE: Never mind.

PHIL: Stop leading. Do you want to drive?
CLAIRE: I do.
PHIL: Tough, I called it.

CLAIRE: And Alex, my god. If we miss this speech... honey, she’s middle child. She’ll never forgive us.

And line of the night:

PHIL: Trust me, that is not a phone call you want to make to a bunch of ex-college male cheerleaders. They will mock you with a hurtful rhythmic taunt.

Cougar Town – “Free Fallin’” (B+)

Can I just say what a huge Busy Philipps fan I’ve become. Laurie is definitely my favourite character on this show now. She just took that mantel. And I know, I’ll probably say the same thing about somebody else next week, but at least for now I really mean it. Busy Philipps knocks pretty much every line they give her right out of the park. She’s got chemistry with every actor on the show. Seriously, she’s hilarious.

Just look at her in this episode. She was paired up with Andy and Bobby, who already have great chemistry with each other, and she fit in with the two of them perfectly. Each character took a turn being the straight man for the other two, and the whole thing turned into a virtual Ferris wheel of comedy. And the storyline between them was great. I love what an existential crisis it was for Bobby to sell out Penny Can. He’s fine with being known as the “wrong ball” guy, but this he takes a stand on.

I was also happy to have Tom back on the show this week. I always love the Tom episodes, and while the crew wasn’t as mean to him as they normally are the storyline was still great. Man those chalk children were creepy. I think my favourite part of the entire episode was their second chalk drawing. You know, the one with Grayson and Ellie’s houses on fire and their bodies burning beside them. The whole thing was just so ridiculous you couldn’t help but laugh.

And then we had Jules and Trav. We’ve always known Jules has an unhealthily clingy relationship to her son – it’s one of the better recurring jokes on this show – but with Travis still reeling from his break up with Kirsten it was up to Jules to figure out how to get him out of the house and back into college. I really liked how the writers handled this storyline. They gave us a few great jokes about Jules’ smothering nature with Trav (and one incredibly weird one where she made out with a Trav impersonating Grayson) and then ultimately had her confront him. The best of both worlds really.

In the end though Travis didn’t go back to college, instead moving into Bobby’s newly vacated boat. I’m sure this whole Trav mess will be resolved eventually in next week’s season finale. What I’m really worried about is this boat business. If Bobby has an apartment now does that mean we’ve seen the end of Bobby’s hilarious parking lot living? I guess it’s probably good that they’re developing Bobby’s character, but if he does end up ditching the boat permanently I just want to pay my respects to one of the best sitcom living arrangements I have ever seen. To Bobby’s boat!

Now for the quotes:

ANDY: I’ve been trying to help them make smart financial choices.
BOBBY: Yeah, I want to stop working out of my boat and build a giant can shaped office.
ANDY: It’s not an easy job.

JULES: What are you doing?!?
TRAVIS: I’m going to eat some chips.
JULES: Put those down... they’re stale. I’ll get a fresh bag.

TOM: Chalk children aren’t like other kids. They’re dark... well not physically but... emotionless... they’re homeschooled.

ELLIE: Are those all our houses?
GRAYSON: Mmm, and that’s us there, burning alive. You don’t even have a head. Wait no, there it is.
ELLIE: Why is my severed head still screaming?
TOM: Because they draw what they dream.

ELLIE: What do you want him to do? Live here until he’s 60 so you two can spend every second of your lives together.
JULES: Oh my god, that would be amazing.
GRAYSON: Pushed the wrong button there.

BOBBY: Hey guys, I’ve been looking all over for you.
LAURIE: Really, because if you had signed the contract you could of spotted us from your helicopter and thrown handfuls of gold on us to get our attention.
ANDY: I’m not sure you know how far $20,000 goes.
LAURIE: Didn’t say it was a new helicopter.

GRAYSON: I don’t like drawing myself burning alive.
ELLIE: Well you’re supposed to be drawing me.
GRAYSON: Oh I’m cool with that.

And line of the episode:

LAURIE: It’s like when you hook up with a dude and you wake up the next morning and he’s gone and there’s just a note on your pillow that says “last night was fun, call me next time you’re in Tampa”, and you’re like wha... I’m in Tampa?

Get Sick, Get a Free Gallon of Soup

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “Challenge Accepted” (B)

I was expecting a lot from “Challenge Accepted”, maybe a little too much. We got a few big revelations – I’ll touch on those in a sec – but still I was left a little disappointed. Now I’d be the first to argue that How I Met Your Mother has become a lot more than Ted’s quest to find his future wife. Saying otherwise would be ignoring the great ensemble cast on this show. But still I can relate to some of the fans out there who say that it’s hard to get invested in any of Ted’s relationships anymore knowing that they’re doomed to fail. That’s what I hoped this episode would address and therein lies my disappointment.

Now I know, it’s not fair to expect the writers to cater to every individual expectation. This isn’t criticism of the episode per se, just a commentary on the direction I’d like the show to take. I’ve had few theories on what the writers would do with the mysterious wedding shown at the start of the season – the wedding where Ted said he first met his wife – and mainly what I was hoping they would do was finally give Ted a few relationship possibilities that could actually end up working out. It didn’t necessarily have to be in the way I suggested, but I like the idea of getting to see the mother character before we know that she’s the mother. I think one of the big problems with Zoey was that we knew from early on it wasn’t going to work out. It makes it hard to care about the little moments in a relationship when you know it isn’t going anywhere.

The real irony here though is that the writers actually did exactly what I was just talking about in this episode, just not with Ted. The big reveal that the wedding was in fact Barney’s was a great plot development, especially the way the writers so skilfully reintroduced Robin as one of his possible brides (that conversation in the car was more about the two of them than it was Zoey and Ted). It’s going to end up making Barney’s story infinitely more interesting as we try figure out who he’s going to marry (I’m still hoping for Robin) and what all of a sudden made him the marrying type.

The other mini-revelation in this episode is that Lily is pregnant. It didn’t come as a huge surprise as the writers had already foreshadowed that event before this episode but it did give us a hint of what to expect for next season. I really hope the How I Met Your Mother staff can come up with a few new takes on the traditional pregnancy storyline.

Now the one the thing this finale did lose marks on was that it wasn’t very funny. They get a bit of pass because I’d rather my finales have plot movement, but in certain parts of this episode it was hard to ignore. I didn’t really like the bit where Marshall was shown disgusting pictures by his potential employer nor was I a huge fan of Lily’s Velociraptor vomiting. I was also kind of hoping that after the great way they ended things between her and Ted in the previous episode Zoey wasn’t going to be back again this week.

But still, while the episode may not have been exactly what I was hoping for, the show finished its season with a few promising possibilities, and there’s not a lot more you could ask for than that. “Challenge Accepted” should give them a lot to work with next season.

Line of the episode:

ROBIN: Guys, I dated you both, and neither of you is good at pressing or even finding the button. After some awkward pawing around that building is going to fake an implosion, say “baby that was great”, and go to sleep.

The Event – “The Beginning of the End” (B-)

As I mentioned in my last post this show just got cancelled, so I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on it. To be honest, having watched it from the beginning I can’t say I’m surprised it didn’t make it. From a creative standpoint it was never really able to gain its footing and ended up being quite frustrating because of that. The real question now is whether or not the show will end on a satisfying conclusion or a cliffhanger.  Unfortunately, with one episode left I’m guessing it’s probably going to be the latter.

The big reveal in this episode was that the NTBs were here even before humans. I’d theorized a little on that point before but it made me happy to see that there is some explanation for why the NTBs are so human like (I assume that’s where they’re taking it anyway). It was also pretty cool to see Simon hook onto that scroll that Sean’s been carrying around. If anything I’d like to see the full back story of the NTBs before the show bites the dust.

I liked that the writers decided to pair Sean and Vicky with Sterling and Simon to create a super team. It was kind fun watching them all bond over their shared expertise, even if there were a few cheesy lines thrown in here and there. More than anything though it was just nice to see some of these characters meet each other for the first time. Honestly, how has something like this not happened sooner?

I’m also glad to the see the President up and moving again, just so we didn’t have to spend an entire episode watching him lie in a hospital bed again. Martinez is still plagued by a few annoying character traits, but I like that we finally have someone who can get Jarvis out of power. I really hope we don’t have to spend the whole finale watching him try to get the Presidency back though.

House – “After Hours” (A-)

This was one of the best episodes of House I’ve seen all season. Certainly the best since Thirteen walked out of that prison. I apologise if I keep harping this point week after week, but the best episodes of House these days seem to happen when the writers ditch the traditional patient of the week formula and try something new.

Last week, when I speculated that House would end up as a patient before seasons end, I kind of expected he would have a part in his own diagnosis. It’s House after all. There was no way he was going to completely give up control. What I didn’t expect though was that he would have a part in his own surgery.

The bathtub scene was brilliant. His pale complexion, shaking hands, writhing in pain with each cut of the scalpel. It may not have been for the faint of heart, but it was hard to deny the intensity of the sequence. And what I liked most about the ending was that it seemed to be a real wake up call for the character. His admission to Wilson that he knew something needed to change was understated but quite powerful. I’m hoping that sentiment more than anything guides the season finale next week (Disclaimer: I didn’t see the preview for it, so I have no idea what’s coming).

With House operating on himself, Thirteen and Chase ended up getting what most would consider the patient of the week. Of course their story was about a lot more than just diagnosing a patient. Since his divorce with Cameron Chase has become almost a caricature of his former self, sleeping with hordes of women and generally being relegated to comic relief. But often forgotten is the fact that Chase actually killed a man on purpose only a season ago.

Thirteen on the other hand just got out of prison for euthanizing her brother, and while she’s had a fair amount of screen time since her return we still hadn’t seen her discuss her feelings over what she’d done. Which is why watching Thirteen and Chase connect over their shared experienced was an extremely compelling moment for both characters. Chase gave Thirteen an outlet to express her grief and Thirteen gave Chase a little substance for the first time in almost a season and a half. It’s a great pairing and I sincerely hope the writers continue the bond between the two of them going forward.

Lastly, we had Taub and his surprise pregnancy storyline. Earlier in the season the writers looked to be making a concerted effort to make Taub a more likeable character, but after Thirteen’s return they sort of forget about that storyline. Well they picked up on it again in this episode and I like where they seem to be taking his story. Foreman’s right, Taub would probably make a horrible father, but at his core Taub is a good person – just look at what he was willing to go through to make sure that stripper was alright – and I think having a kid would be an excellent opportunity for the character to grow. I just wonder if it means Taub is going to move out of Foreman’s apartment. How funny would it be watching the two of them try to raise a kid?

This Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You

It’s been a crazy week in the television landscape with all the networks deciding which pilots to take into production and which series to cancel to make room. We’ve already had a few shows we cover get the axe. Personally, I was a little disappointed about Off the Map getting cancelled but V and The Event got what they deserved. I’ll keep you posted if we lose any more series from our repertoire.

Spoilers...

Grey’s Anatomy – “I Will Survive” (B)

Okay, for the record Teddy and Henry are definitely ending up together. As far as I’ve heard Kim Raver isn’t leaving the show, so I kind of doubt Teddy’s headed to Germany for any length of time, and the way the two of them were playing emotional chicken at the end of the episode there... well you just don’t see a whole lot of stories like that that don’t end with a romance.

I was a fan of Meredith and Derek’s adoption story this week as well. It wasn’t without a few cheesy moments, but for the most part I think it’s a good plotline for Meredith. I liked her worried preparations for her interview with the social worker. It was fun look back through the history of her character, and the way Christina kept spinning each event to the positive was pretty hilarious. I do think the writers need to be careful they don’t overflow the series with babies though. The stories leading up to them are often good, but babies themselves tend to be awful to watch. See Cece from The Office.

I’m interested in seeing how this adoption storyline plays out now that Karev has ratted out Meredith to Owen. I feel for Karev, I really do. His character has been through more than probably any other character on this show. He’s been shot, his wife left him, and pretty much every other relationship he’s gotten himself into has ended badly. I think Karev’s actions were misguided. Telling Owen Meredith messed with the Alzheimer trial would have been the right thing to do if he’d done it for the right reasons, but this was just so he could get ahead, which is a pity. But good on the writers for giving the character a decent motivation for selling out his colleague. The next episode’s the finale, so it should be fun to watch it that storyline play itself out.

Christina had a pretty great week as well. They gave her a really cool patient story and I liked her pairing with Kepner. Actually, as much as I didn’t like Kepner (or the rest of those Mercy West jerks) when she first arrived at the hospital, she’s really grown on me over this last season, to the point where I’m actively rooting for her. I wouldn’t mind seeing her get Chief Resident, mostly because Christina was so mean to her about it in this episode. I tend to root for the underdogs.

But Christina and April made a good pairing. I liked the way the writers contrasted the two throughout the episode because it really made Owen’s explanation for why Christina wouldn’t make a good Chief Resident stick. It was a tricky situation, for Owen and the writers, but both parties handled it well. Of course anything could happen in the finale, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Christina fought her way back into the running (I didn’t see the teaser for next week so I literally have no idea what the finale is about).

And last but not least I just to want to quickly touch on Lexie and Mark. It seemed to me like the writers were hinting that maybe Lexie isn’t completely over him. I’ve got to be honest though, while I’m sure there are a few people out there who think Lexie and Mark are meant to be together (I’m guessing the writers are part of that group the way they keep breaking them up and getting them back together), I’m not hating her relationship with Avery. They make a good couple, and by no means is Avery a bad guy. Just look at what he tried to do for the Chief this week, and he was willing to do it without anyone understanding why. If Lexie ends up with Mark I’m fine with that, but I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if she ended up choosing Avery instead.

Fringe – “The Day We Died” (and the two episodes before it) (A-)

It's been a long time since I last wrote about Fringe. There is a reason but not sure it's a great one. As you may well know I had 11 exams that ended 3 weeks ago. Since then I've started work full time and gone through some personal shit. I'm sorry if for whatever reason you like my reviews and were looking forward to what I have to say. I'm at a point where I don't really know how to review the show anymore. I don't want to spoil it for my editor. Brian should watch this show and I'm taking that away from him. But I have a duty so here it goes.

It's very humbling that literally all my predictions have been wrong. I’ve liked the writing though, and the acting has been fantastic. This last episode was no exception. Futuristic Peter, even crazier Walter and very evil Walternate are great characters. I literally have no idea how they are going to move the show forward after this. We all knew the observers would play a large role come seasons end, but is Peter really gone? How do they do that with the star of the show? It was an ending I didn’t see coming. I figured it was a flash forward type situation when they jumped into the future two weeks ago, but this is just weird. How and why is he gone? I need an explanation for that.

This show has officially entered my pantheon of shows which include Lost, The Wire and Battlestar Gallactica. It's just a great story. I hope the writers have an appropriate arc planned for the rest of series and that the show gains a larger following as it starts to move into its last couple of seasons.

Song(s) of the week

This week’s pick:

“Romance Is Boring” by Los Campesinos!

Where I found Los Campesinos!: Honestly, they’re just one of those bands that have been kicking around on my iTunes for what seems like forever now. I found the song though on another episode of Carson Daly. I wish it was more exciting than that, but what are you gonna do?

What I like: It’s fast, it’s messy, and it’s fun. Let’s not overcomplicate things.

Romance Is Boring - Los Campesinos!

Let’s Not Draw This Out...

I apologise for not posting Modern Family and Cougar Town yesterday. Blogger wouldn’t work for me all day. They’re here now though, just scroll down past all the NBC stuff.

Spoilers...

Community – “For a Few Paintballs More” (A)

Maybe the only thing I wanted more than another paintball episode was a Star Wars episode. Combining the two together was a dream I didn’t know I had until one of Dean Sprek’s white clad goons spouted off some Storm Trooper lingo, and I realized what the writers had in store for us. When the scroll came up I could barely contain my excitement.

What we ended up getting was a bit of loose adaptation. No one really took on a role except for Abed, although I’m not sure how you could resist his rendition of Han Solo (Annie sure couldn’t). But just because they didn’t take on the obvious imitation didn’t mean that there weren’t some great subtle references to George Lucas’s masterpiece. The battle scenes played out very much like a Star Wars battle would, with each of the heroes splitting up, running into trouble and eventually coming through for each other. And Troy’s death scene, where he rounded the corner only to be met with a division of enemy soldiers was almost shot for shot out of A New Hope. Although Han survived his ordeal.

I actually felt a bit sorry for Annie when Abed wouldn’t continue on as Han Solo for her. Not because I want Abed to change who he is, but because he’d so obviously captured Annie’s heart that it was sad to see him immediately withdraw from her. Plus, I kind of want to see Annie actually date someone within the group. So far the only guy in the study group she hasn’t had some sort of moment with is Pierce, and I think it’s fair to say that one’s probably safely in the bag. I’ve pretty much accepted that the writers are only giving us these moments to serve the joke, but every time they do it I just keep thinking how great it would be if one of these relationships actually stuck. Maybe an idea for season 3.

As a straight up paintball episode I think I liked previous one better. There were some great moments in “For a Few Paintballs More” – particularly some of the reaction shots of people getting hit and immediately reminding us that it was all just a game – but the last episode committed more to its premise. Of course that’s not entirely the fault of the writers. They had to do a season wrap up on top of all the paintballing, and it forced them to move things along a little more quickly than I’m sure they would have liked. The last two paintball episodes had three acts to tell their story, this one only had two.

But the episode accomplished what it needed to accomplish. The writers gave us a satisfying episode (parodying my favourite movies of all time) and a strong cliffhanger to carry us into next season. I haven’t heard anything yet about Chevy Chase leaving the show, so I assume Pierce will be back with the study group again next year, but either way, I for one can’t wait to see what Community has in store for us next season.

**Note** It happened so fast I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at, but Busy Philipps and Dan Byrd from Cougar Town indeed had a cameo in this episode. I love the mutual admiration between those shows.

My favourite lines:

DEAN PELTON: That doesn’t make sense. Why would someone who is paid to do things be at Greendale?

DEAN PELTON: City College! Now I understand everything. Now your whole evil plan is clear as day... but if you need to explain it to your men I understand.

TROY: Damn it Shirley, forget your newborn child and think about the people who need you.

JEFF: I don’t step up to being leader Troy. I reluctantly accept it when it’s thrust upon me.

JEFF: Everyone look alive. Leonard good enough.

LEONARD: Brita I’ve been in a few real wars... but this one is actually the most terrifying.

JEFF: Some of us won’t make it, but there is a place where we will all see each other again... and that place is Denny’s.

JEFF: Denny’s is for winners.

BRITA: No he’s just acting out. I’ve seen this behaviour before... in cats. My cats.

And the line of the episode:

DEAN SPREK: City College is stronger, faster. Our sperm counts are higher, even in our woman. Resistance is as pointless as your degrees.

The Office – “Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager” (A-)

This was more like how I was hoping The Office would turn out in Steve Carell’s absence. Last week, I was pretty disappointed with the way the show felt without Michael. Quite frankly I was worried whether the show would be able to last without him. But it’s amazing how this episode turned all that around and more. A lot still depends on who they pick as the new manager, but I think it’s safe to say these characters are still capable of some very funny moments.

In all honesty, I didn’t think having Dwight in charge would be good. They’d sort of touched on this storyline before in the season 3 finale when Michael thought he was going to get a job at corporate, and I didn’t think dedicating a full length episode to the idea was going to be funny a second time. I was wrong. The writers outdid even that season 3 finale in this one, coming up with an excess of great new Dwight changes around the office. An old timey punch clock capable of eating people’s fingers, new oversized business cards where everyone is a junior employee, staggered lunch breaks to prevent wasting time.

And the best part was they brought back the Dwight/Jim dynamic of old. Jim was in fine form coming up with new ways to mess with acting manager Dwight. Their scene surrounding “the fist”, Jim’s non-rebellion rebellion, was fantastically funny, as was their meeting in Dwight’s office where the acting manager pre-fired his longstanding nemesis.

It’s especially nice to see the writers find a good use for Jim again. It looked like they’d been struggling to find him (and Pam for that matter) something to do over this past season. Even better was the fact that the writers did it using a storyline that wouldn’t have existed had Michael still been around. They’re using Steve Carell’s departure as a springboard for new storylines, which is a promising sign.

For the most part I was also pretty satisfied with the way they handled skipping over Dwight and Jim for the job of manager (at least for now anyway). Jim was the obvious choice to replace Michael because for a time he had Michael’s job, and if they didn’t acknowledge that it would have been a pretty big plot hole. Was having him turn down the job the perfect way to get Jim out of the picture? Probably not... once he realized that there was no way Jo was going to let the office go unsupervised he probably should of changed his mind, but it satisfied me enough that I was willing to let it go.

What they did with Dwight was far more masterful. We got to see Dwight screw up his role simply by being Dwight, and even more importantly we got to see Jo actually tell him he’s not right for the job. Heck, by the end of the episode even Dwight himself admitted he probably wasn’t right for the job (although I’m not sure how long that will last because I’m pretty sure I saw him interviewing with Jim, Toby, and Gabe in the teaser).

Now I’ve talked quite a bit about Dwight and Jim but the rest of the cast were really on their game in this episode as well. The extortion sequence especially did a great job of proving the entire ensemble can still be funny without Michael at the helm. Kelly was great with her American Idol solo, Angela was right on character asking for pet days back (just no dogs), and Toby got the biggest laugh of all, showing his absolute glee (by Toby standards anyway) to get to use the gunshot portion of the HR binder.

And maybe the most promising development is that it looks like The Office is finally getting its will-they won’t-they relationship back, with Andy and Erin displaying some of the same sexual tension the show used to get from Pam and Jim back in its glory days. Now I know, Erin and Andy have already hooked up and there are a lot of people out there who didn’t like their courtship or their relationship the first time around. Two things have changed since then though. One, we’ve gotten to know Erin much better, and she’s become a much more likable character because of it. And two, Gabe is in the picture now, and he serves as an excellent wedge between the two of them, actively sabotaging any hint of a relationship and causing all sorts miscommunications whenever possible. Already we’re getting some great awkward conversations and longing stares out of Andy and Erin, which has given the show back a much needed source of tension. Hopefully they’ll be able to carry that into the next season.

 Now for my favourite lines from the episode:

JIM: Imagine that, people like us allowed to sell paper unsupervised. And yet somehow it works. It must be because the stakes are so high.

JIM: Do I at least get to go with you in this fantasy?
PAM: You’d slow me down.

JIM: Our lunch breaks are staggered to prevent wasting time. Mine’s at 10:30, and I find that the first hour of the day goes by a lot quicker than the second 7 hours.

DWIGHT: So I expect you to be on your best behaviour which means none of you will be insubordinate nor will you foment insurrection.
JIM: Question: if we’ve already fomented insurrection may we be grandfathered in?

DWIGHT: What’s the fist?
JIM: Oh it’s just a social club, you know, like the French revolution or the Black Panthers, or communism. It’s just a club. Guys, talking, you know.

ERIN: Gabe was a great guy, with so many wonderful qualities, but it was a challenge being touched by him.

OSCAR: Oh my god! There is a hardwood floor underneath this carpeting. Why would they do that!

DWIGHT: Managing you for this last week has been the greatest honour of my life... and if you ruin this I will burn this office to the ground. And I mean that figuratively, not literally, because you guys are so important to me. I love you guys, but don’t cross me, but you’re the best.

And my favourite quote of the episode:

TOBY: Would you consider this a terrorist incident?
RYAN: I felt terrorized.

Parks and Recreation – “The Fight” (B+)

You know, of all the funny recurring characters this show has to offer, I think Jean-Ralphio might be my favourite of the bunch. He has a way of speaking that not only gels perfectly with Tom’s character, but can pretty much roll off any insult and back into a normal conversation without skipping a beat. The more I see of his character, honestly, the happier I am.

In an episode that included drunk Leslie, a product launch by Tom, and Jerry strapped onto the roof of a car, it was Jean-Ralphio who stole the show. First off, any time he has a conversation with Ron it’s awesome. Just awesome. But when you throw in the rapping gag he had in this episode, it’s really hard not to fall in love with the character.

JEAN-RALPHIO: Uh oh, uh oh. K to the N to the O P E, she’s the dopest little shorty in all Pawnee, Indiana.
TOM: Why didn’t you just stop at Pawnee?

The rest of “The Fight” was pretty good too I guess. Tom’s drink launch was a good way to center the episode. I always like it when all the main characters end up in a central location and they’re free to mingle with each other however they want. I really enjoyed watching Ron hook on to Tom’s Snake Juice drink. Whether it was him moving around from table to table promoting the drink, or later in the night when he was drunk off his ass from it, it was fun to watch. And on a more dramatic note, it was really nice of Ron to go to bat for Tom with Chris. I was kind of moved by the gift he gave him after Tom had to sell his shares in the Snake Hole.

Leslie and Ann’s fight was also quite funny. There were times when their drunkenness felt a little gimmicky, but for the most part the actors did a great job of playing off of each other. Some of their arguments were just downright hilarious too, my favourite being the “no offense” fight that saw the two of them continually one upping each other until Ann called offense.

The only real letdown for me in this episode was April and Andy’s role playing game. There was nothing in particular that bothered me about the storyline. It was in character for both of them and I have to admit I smiled when I saw Andy brought back his Macklin alter-ego from way back in “Media Blitz”. It’s just on the whole the jokes weren’t landing as frequently as they were with the other stories, and it felt like I was waiting for a big punchline that never came. Which is a pity, because this is the first Andy/April story I haven’t loved since they got married.

Now for the quotes:

LESLIE: Pawnee is looking for a new PR director for the health department and I submitted your name! You have an interview tomorrow at 9 am.
ANN: 9 am, wow.
LESLIE: Yes, I know! I couldn’t get it earlier.

LESLIE: And let’s be honest, it would be nice to not have to pull strange things out of people’s butts every night.
ANN: You’ve mentioned that before. That doesn’t happen that often.
LESLIE: It happened once.
ANN: Just once.
LESLIE: That already is too many times.

JEAN-RALPHIO: Swan song, how you living?
RON: Yes.

LESLIE: Well I mean let’s be honest. How long is it gonna last with this guy?
THE DOUCHE: Sitting right here.
ANN: I don’t know, he’s dumb but he’s fun.
THE DOUCHE: Thank you.

TOM: Try a little snake juice. It’s 140 proof which means it’s 70% alcohol, but don’t worry there’s plenty of caffeine in it to keep you awake.

ANN: Also, I can talk about my qualifications for this position. But first I am going to go throw up in a waste basket.
LESLIE: Would you mind if I joined you?
ANN: Not at all. Shall we?

LESLIE: We need to remember what’s important in life. Friends, waffles, and work. Or waffles, friends, work. It doesn’t matter. But work is third.

And line of the episode:

APRIL: Ugh, I hate talking... to people... about things. This is a nightmare.

Parks and Recreation – “Road Trip” (A-)

This was the second episode in the Parks and Recreation double header on NBC, so forgive me if there’s a little overlap in this review. Fair warning – “Road Trip” benefited from the fact that I was watching it at 5 am, and at the time I was so out of it I think I would have laughed at just about anything. Of course, it also benefited from the fact that it was really, really funny, so what are you going to do?

It’s great to finally see Ben and Leslie get together. This was the right time to hook them up – any longer and I think it would have gotten a little tedious. And what a ride it was. The road trip was hilarious, filled with great conversation starters like The History of Ladders and dormitories at Johns Hopkins University. Oh and let’s not forget Banjo Boogie Bonanza. Never ever forget Banjo Boogie Bonanza.

And then, when Leslie had finally gotten past her initial reluctance to go for it with Ben, Chris showed up and served as one of the funniest third wheels in history. I was happy to see Chris return to his uber positive roots in this one. It felt like the writers had been struggling a bit over the last couple of weeks to balance his newfound role as the boss, a position that requires handing down bad news, with his almost unflinching positivity (although they did have a great moment in “The Fight” where he called to Ben to lay down some bad news and realized he wasn’t there anymore).

He made me laugh out loud on at least two occasions in this episode though. First, when he exuberantly suggested they all go play mini-golf in celebration of getting the Little League championship, right as Ben and Leslie were about to act on their feelings. And second, on the car ride home, where he followed up an intense conversation about The History of Ladders by air strumming to Banjo Boogie Bonanza. Maybe the funniest moment of the episode.

Of course that would be ignoring Libertarian Ron’s one on one lesson to a 9 year old girl about the importance of government. There’s clearly no shortage of good story ideas for Ron, who’s stolen the show over the last couple of weeks, and that’s probably because Nick Offerman is so intensely funny that he can make you laugh in pretty much any situation. The sequence where he explained taxes to the young girl by eating her lunch has to stand out as one of the better Ron Swanson moments of all time (though there’s so many of them it’s hard to make a list). When he went back in and took that extra bite of her sandwich to demonstrate the “capital gains tax” I had hard time composing myself. The girl’s mother gave probably the best summary:

MOTHER: You ate her lunch and you gave her a land mine. Really?

My one qualm with the episode was Tom’s game show, Know Ya Boo. It wouldn’t have mattered if “The Fight” hadn’t aired literally right before this one, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to have two plots centered on Tom’s business ventures in a row. It just seemed like a too much of the same joke in too limited a time span, and by the end of the second half hour I was growing a little tired of it. Other than that I really had no other problems with the story.

And it wasn’t all bad either. It’s good that they showed April and Andy fighting a bit. I’m all for this marriage – it’s been one of the funniest things to happen to Parks and Rec this season – but they did do it spur of the moment and they’re both really young, so it’s important they show them struggling a bit too. And the way they handled the conflict was quite sweet. A disagreement over music is the perfect fight for a young couple to have (by the way Neutral Milk Hotel is a real band and they are awesome), and the way they solved their problems in the end spoke not only to their growing maturity (though hopefully not too growing) but their connection as a whole.

ANDY: Maybe April doesn’t think we’re the greatest band in the world, but man. She loves me, and I love her so, you know, who cares.

My favourite quotes from the episode:

ANN: Wow, that was the most sexual tension I have ever seen in a conversation about documents.

ANN: It’s a dumb rule.
LESLIE: I know!
ANN: But if you have to follow it I would just suggest avoiding one on one tensiony situations with him.
CHRIS: (cutaway with Ben and Leslie) I am sending you two on a trip!

LESLIE: Ann, everything you have is too sexy. This is actually the dress that Julia Roberts wore as a prostitute in Pretty Woman.
ANN: I know, I look really good in it.

TOM: Leslie’s not here today. No boss – we can do whatever we want.
RON: I’m your boss.
TOM: (through laughter) That’s a good one Ron.

ANDY: I love Slurp HD. Have you guys seen Ultimate Battle Smoothie?
TOM: That’s a dope show.

LESLIE: And so as you can see, Pawnee has 12 beautiful baseball diamonds. And our seats have extra cushioning due to the massive size of our average citizen.

APRIL: This question is gross.
TOM: That’s kind of the point.

CHRIS: Well now I’m up. You want to Boggle?

And line of the episode:

LESLIE: The racoon problem is under control. They have their part of the town and we have ours.

Modern Family – “Good Cop Bad Dog” (B+)

I really wish I could give each individual storyline in “Good Cop Bad Dog” a different rating, because the happy medium I ended up giving it doesn’t do Phil and Claire’s story justice. There was this amazing moment in this episode, right after Alex and Hayley lied about cleaning up their bathroom, where you could see it in Phil’s eyes that he had just snapped. Pretty much any scene after that involving Phil, Claire, or the kids was laugh out loud hilarious.

It was a great idea to have those two switch roles. And the best part was that both sides of that storyline were funny. I enjoyed watching “fun” Claire torture Manny and Luke as much as I did Phil turning into a nightmare disciplinarian. In fact I think my favourite scene (although Phil staring down the girls in the bathroom is up there too) was when the two groups finally reunited and both parents got to see the end results of their role reversal.

LUKE: I’m 12, I need limits!

It’s just too bad that most of those great scenes were followed by the life sucking energy of Cam and Mitchell’s story. If Claire and Phil got an A for their effort, than Cam and Mitchell got a C. Maybe I’m being a little harsh, but I’m getting kind of sick of watching Cam passive aggressively overreact on a weekly basis. And it’s not because it’s necessarily a bad look for the character. It would be funny if we didn’t see it so often. I think the problem lies in the fact that Cam and Mitchell are paired up with each other way too much.

Now I’m not an idiot. As a couple they’re obviously going to spend the majority of their time on screen together, just like the rest of the families on this show. But I think the big difference between Cam and Mitchell and the other families is that the other families have kids (who can talk and interact, I didn’t forget about Lily). Claire and Phil probably have the same number of storylines together, but it’s easier for the writers to split them up. Claire could spend a week with the girls while Phil does something with Luke and it can all end up tying together in the end. The same is true for Gloria, Jay and Manny as well. And the best part is the kids act as a bridge between the two families. There are more opportunities for comingling because Manny and Luke are around the same age. 

The same isn’t true for Cam and Mitchell. When they’re in a story together the only thing the writers can really do is play them against each other (or have them react to some external faux pas), and it’s much harder to pair them up with the other families without having to come up with some really forced explanations as to why they’re doing so. We get to see a lot more sides of the Pritchetts and the Dunphys, while Cam and Mitchell seem to be stuck playing out the same story week after week.

Jay and Gloria’s storyline was thankfully a little better than Cam and Mitchell’s. I was a little worried when I first saw him but Guillermo turned out to be a really funny addition to the episode. His good doggy bad doggy treat system was absolutely hilarious. I think my favourite scene though had to be Jay’s talk with Guillermo’s dog. Ed O’Neill did a fantastic job essentially acting with himself and that dog was so awesome I can’t wait to see how they use it in subsequent episodes. It looks like we have a new permanent fixture in the Pritchett family.

My favourite quotes:

CLAIRE: What was good about Luke’s report card?
PHIL: He didn’t lose it.

JAY: She’s got a big heart. It’s the one thing I’d like to change about her.

GUILLERMO: What is this multi-billion dollar industry missing?
JAY: Multi-billion dollars.

GUILLERMO: She’s still full from the bad doggy treat.

PHIL: Note to Claire: if you want intense family drama rent Spy Kids. They saved their parents lives. You think they would have done that if they got yelled at all the time.

LUKE: You know what, Mom’s the crazy one. She ran over my hand.
CLAIRE: We were having fun!

And line of the episode:

PHIL: Girls, grab your buckets and meet me by the car.
CLAIRE: They don’t have to do that.
PHIL: They do if I say so. (to the girls) I’m sorry I swear I just told you to GRAB YOUR BUCKETS.

Cougar Town – “Damaged by Love” (B)

The real irony of “Damaged by Love” was that, despite two notable guest appearances by Nia Vardalos and Ken Jenkins, it was a kid on a Big Wheel that ended up stealing the show. And that’s not even meant to reflect poorly on the guest appearances. That kid was just really damn funny.

Of course I’m getting ahead of myself. This episode was really about Jules and Bobby trying to help Travis get through having his proposal rejected by Kirsten. That’s actually where Ken Jenkins came in. Reprising his role as Jules’ father Chick, he was brought in along with Bobby to help cheer Travis up. I had mixed feelings about this storyline. On one hand, throwing Jules and Travis into a strip club together was a great idea, and guest star Crista Flanagan did a hilarious job of portraying Destiny, the lone stripper in the club. On the other, Bobby and Jules fighting with each other sucked a bit of the life out of the storyline, taking away the easygoingness that makes those two so enjoyable together.

 I was also a little disappointed in Nia Vardalos’ guest appearance in this episode. I was never able to get into the inappropriate flirting her character Angela insisted on doing with Andy. There was just no room for Andy to be Andy in that scenario, and Ian Gomez spent most of his week reacting to Angela instead of being funny himself.

The storyline’s one saving grace however was that it allowed for a few good scenes between Ellie and Laurie. I really liked Ellie’s question mark complements as she tried to convince Laurie to be her human stress ball. I honestly can’t remember that far back but I feel like this was one of the first times Ellie and Laurie have really bonded, so it was nice to see those two characters find some common ground.

It was Grayson who stole the episode though. His rollerblading journey home was fantastic. Josh Hopkins deserves a ton of credit for carrying pretty much the entire storyline on his own. Of course, that’s not meant to diminish the contribution of his younger counterpart, as his silent companion only compounded the ridiculousness of a grown man’s inability to rollerblade a few blocks home.

My favourite lines:

BOBBY: Yup, love is a battlefield.
JULES: Did you just quote Pat Benatar?
BOBBY: I often do in tough situations.

GRAYSON: You’re not my mom.
JULES: Don’t sass me! I am not in the mood.

JULES: Honey why don’t you grab a table near the pole.

And my favourite line:

LAURIE: When Smith dumped me it literally took me months to get back to a place where I could sleep with random dudes to feel good about myself.