When I Eat It Is The Food That Is Scared

Let’s see what we got this week...

Spoilers:

30 Rock – “People Are People Three!” (A-)

You know, if you’re going to do a two part episode do it on the night you air two episodes. While I had a few complaints last week about the first half I was happy with the way this episode wrapped everything up. I thought Jack and Liz’s storyline was much improved this time around. I loved Jack’s approval cards, especially since his last card included a three month probationary period.

But the highlight of the night for me had to be Kelsey Grammar. It’s odd, considering his storyline was so non-essential to the main plot, but it just so perfectly captured the unbelievable stupidity that makes 30 Rock so great it won me over. His Lincoln play was priceless. I love that the staff needed him to tell them where the term “Civil War” came from.

30 Rock – “The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell” (B+)

This was definitely the weaker of the two episodes, but it still had its moments. I laughed pretty hard at the “Valentine’s Day”/ “New Year’s Eve” spoof off the top and Tracey’s mortality storyline was perfect for his character. It reminded me a lot of Liz’s bag story from last season or Chris from Parks and Recreation tendinitis bout. It’s always funny to watch a character realize their mortality for dumb reasons and Tracey’s presents bit was par for the course, even if it was a fake out.

I also thought the conclusion to Jack’s Page Program experiment was quite clever. Their big invaluable contribution to the company is that they give upper management someone to blame. And was it just me or was watching Lutz compare himself to Jack a little unsettling? The only real weak storyline I found in this episode was Jenna and Liz. It was a great exploration of why those two are friends but I just didn’t find it that particularly funny. Maybe it’s because I don’t know my D-List stars like I used to.

Parks and Recreation – “Bowling for Votes” (A-)

This was one of those great episodes that just sort of sneaks up on you. The main thread involving Leslie’s pursuit of a particularly negative focus group participant was very funny and it managed to conclude with some pretty decent momentum for her campaign, which was exciting to watch. I have noticed though that TV shows love to do focus group storylines. I wonder if maybe that has to do with the fact that a lot of TV writers have to deal with test audiences.

Regardless, I can’t help but wonder how Leslie’s campaign is going to end up. I hear a lot of people saying that her winning would be the end of Parks and Rec, and they may be right, but I wouldn’t put it past the writers on this show to make it work. They’ve surprised me before. Personally I would love to see her win, but I’m worried that they’re already prepping her for failure. Just the choice of who’s running against her suggests that it’ll all probably end bad for her. Sweetums and the Newports have always been the bad guys on this show, and Leslie’s yet to beat them. It’s easy to see the storyline in her losing.

But I digress. The great thing about this episode was that as good as that main thread was the two side stories were even funnier. There were all kinds of great bits coming out of the phone fundraiser – the whole gang booing Jerry, Andy asking Chris to move in with him and Champion the three-legged dog – and on top of that we got a very sweet ending between April and Chris. It’s nice to see April show off a little of her nice side without losing that particular quality that makes her who she is.

But my favourite grouping of the night was the Ron, Ann, Tom bowling tandem. Not only did Ann and Tom continue to prove that they are a great comedic pairing – Rashida Jones and Asis Ansari have really found some chemistry this season – but Ron just had one of those episodes where every word that came out of his mouth was hilarious. Honestly, I praise Nick Offerman almost once a week and yet he still finds new ways to impress me. Give that guy an Emmy.

And you know what, with that I’ll leave you with my favourite Ron Swanson quotes of the night:

RON: This bowling alley has my favourite restaurant in Pawnee.

RON: Straight down the middle. No hook, no spin, no fuss. Anything more and this becomes figure skating.

RON: Son, people can see you!

Titles Are Hard

I just figured out how to use my iPod in the car! Also, a semi-timely post. Today’s a good day all round.

Spoilers...

House – “Better Half” (B)

Well House is back. I’m not gonna lie, I can’t remember for the life of me what happened before they went on break, but I do remember it was all pretty mediocre. “Better Half” was a decent episode, the kind of episode that would have seemed average back in the show’s prime. But this is a new era for House, and with no sure plans for whether the series will wrap up by season’s end I guess this is the kind of episode we should be happy to get.

I just can’t help but notice how little the team contributes these days. Taub was inexplicably absent from “Better Half,” yet despite a quick throwaway line at the start I didn’t even notice until well after the episode was over. The two new team members, while good for a laugh every now and then (“higher or lower” being one of them), just aren’t developed enough to carry a story on their own. And the old team members like Chase are so overdeveloped they have almost nothing left.

But House (the character) still has his moments. The cue card bit was funny, and I liked House and Wilson’s side bet this week, even if it was more of the usual. And then I guess there are always the patients – Melanie Lynskey put in a good performance as the wife and her husband served as a good backdrop for a decent power struggle between House and Forman.

You’ll have to forgive my apathy, it’s just this show doesn’t seem to have any direction right now. It looks like they’re waiting to see what’s going to happen with next season, and in the meantime they’re just stalling. It’s a tough situation being in your 8^th season. It’s even harder to do it with all the uncertainty. Hopefully they’ll resolve that situation soon.

Shameless – “I’ll Light a Candle for You Every Day” (B+)

Oh Frank... even for you. Did I not call this? The writers tried to save it by showing his deep guilt over what he’d done, but it’s hard to come back from screwing someone out of a heart transplant. I guess that’s why they call it Shameless. I did have to laugh though when he stole the church donation box at the end. Even conflicted Frank is still Frank.

Finally we got a glimpse of Steve. I really liked how the writers worked Fiona up to that phone call. It was subtle and quite well acted by Emmy Rossum. It may have just been a passing glimpse but at least we know the wheels are in motion now, incredibly green screened motion...

I’ve also been enjoying some of the side stories from the rest of the family. I like that Lip has taken an interest in getting Ian into West Point and while it’s sort of a weird story (though not really for this show) I feel like Karen’s engagement has some potential. Oh and Kev buying the bar... it might be a little conventional by this shows standards, but if they actually stick with it I don’t think it’ll be terrible. That wasn’t as shining an endorsement as it sounded in my head.

Alcatraz – “Kit Nelson” (B)

I certainly didn’t hate this episode, but it did confirm a few of my fears. “Kit Nelson” was definitely a lot lighter on the mythology than the previous two, and while the case gave the writers the opportunity to explore Soto’s history a little bit, the inmates aren’t what draw me to the show. Now granted, it’s way too early to infer anything from this. Hopefully as the series develops along with the characters we’re going to get more and more into the serialized element (like Fringe... I think – I’ve gotta watch that), but I have a feeling these purely case episodes aren’t going to go away, if only because television is a volume business.

The writers on this show do love that ageless element though. Creepy doctor guy, Lucy – it’s all very Richard Alpert, and frankly I love it. Also, I’m kind of wondering whether they’re actually going to keep all of the inmates in every episode. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally for it. It’s rare you see that kind of continuity on a television show. But I have no idea how they’re pulling that off from a production point of view. Are they really bringing those actors in for those short little shots, or is that just some TV magic?

You know what, I don’t want to know. Let’s keep a little mystery.

Too Handsome For Glasses

Sorry gang, I’ll have to do another quick one this week. But since I’m running through them so fast I’ve added a few of my new favourites to the mix. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

Shameless – “Summer Loving” (B)

I’m having trouble adjusting to Shameless’ sort of meandering pace this season. It’s never been that big of a serialized show, but with all the momentum coming out of last season’s finale it would have been nice if they’d picked up with more with that before they settled into the routine.

I’m not sure how I feel about Jasmine’s growing influence over Fiona this season. It’s hard to tell where the writers are going with it, but up until this point it hasn’t been that engaging. The other thing I’ll say is the writers need to be careful how far they take Frank’s character. They want him to be shameless, yes. But not so much so that he becomes completely unlikable. Trying to con a dying woman out of her city pension is one thing, actively deceiving her out of a heart transplant is something else entirely. I want Frank the lovable screw up, not Frank the killer.

It was actually the small little subplots in this episode that really snuck up and stole the show. I really loved watching Mickey play the security guard at the Kash and Grab and there was something oddly poignant about Veronica’s excursion with the old folk. I doubt we’ll get much more, but it almost feels like that story still has some legs left to it.

How I Met Your Mother – “46 Minutes” (B+)

This was actually the series’ 150^th episode and I thought they did a pretty good job with it. The first half of the episode was really strong. I loved Barney’s total embrace of his new position as head of the gang. The altered title music was a nice touch. And who didn’t enjoy the call back to Stripper Lilly? New Marshall and New Lilly may not have lasted for long, but they were fun while they were there. Now we’ll just have to wait and see how long Marshall and Lilly’s new living situation lasts. I hope the writers have something good planned for this because otherwise it’s going to feel like a giant cop out.

Alcatraz – “Pilot” and “Ernest Cobb” (B)

Not the worst pilot I’ve ever seen. Alcatraz is a little too case of the week for my tastes, but it does have a nice serialized element to it that’s drawn me in. The question now is really which aspect the show embraces moving forward. They had a pretty good mix of mythology and episodic storylines going in these first two episodes, but it would be easy to fall more into the individual inmates as the season wears on.

I do like the actors on this show though. Sam Neill is a pretty good get for a television show and I quite liked Sarah Jones in the main role. Her character may have the odd bad line here and there, but she’s been pretty good at not overplaying the angry cop thing. Oh also, did you know that the guy playing the Alcatraz expert is the same guy that played Hurley on Lost? Yup, pretty awesome.

Modern Family – “Little Bo Bleep” (A-)

It’s nice to see Modern Family string together a few good episodes in a row. They’d been having some trouble with their consistency this season. But wow, how could not love that focus group for Claire. Just like how Phil’s brush with death a couple of episodes ago was perfect storyline for his character, watching Claire have to sit through that kind of criticism was perfect her. The discussion over which side of her face was the good side had me on the floor. I was wondering when they were going to go back to her running for office...

Oh and for the record, the controversy over this episode was way overblown. I didn’t see anything wrong with the way they used Lilly. It was a pretty solid storyline actually.

Happy Endings – “Makin’ Changes!” (A)

I really have to give this episode credit. It came on after a very good Modern Family episode and actually managed to top it. I am falling in love with Jane and Brad. Eliza Coupe has to be one of the most underrated actresses on TV right now. I’ve loved her ever since she appeared as Denise on Scrubs. The chemistry she and Damon Wayans Jr. have is something special.

Plus who doesn’t love a good V-neck joke, or you know, twenty. I don’t even watch those rehab shows and I loved that storyline. The after credits bit about Dave relapsing made me laugh out loud. I’m glad too that the writers have finally found a niche for Alex. For a while they weren’t really using her that well, but her new a-little-bit-slower-than-everyone-else persona has really fit in nicely with the rest of the cast.

This series was a slow starter but I’m glad I kept watching. Episodes like this one just go to show how far Happy Endings has come in just a short little while. Seriously, if you aren’t watching it yet, start. The cast is great and the writing is sharp.

30 Rock – “Idiots Are People Two!” (B)

Not bad, not great. I’m excited to see how Kelsey Grammar plays into all of this next week. I didn’t realize that he was supposed to be playing himself until the credits started rolling. I liked that the show decided to address Tracey Morgan’s off camera issues from the summer, but I thought they would maybe do a little more with it. Still, the Glad garbage bag bit did make me laugh.

I was a little underwhelmed with Liz and Jack this week though. It’s not that they didn’t have their moments – it just feels like we’ve covered this type of storyline before with these two. Anyone remember Dennis? I’m hoping the writers still have something else up their sleeves with this one. It’s rare for 30 Rock to do a two part episode, so they very well might.

Parks and Recreation – “Campaign Ad” (A-)

Oh man, there is no TV couple funnier than Andy and April. Getting those two married was a stroke of genius. Seriously, they were the B story (at best) and they still managed to steal the show. Chris Pratt could read the phone book and have me laughing. Biggest laugh of the night – listening to Andy incorrectly list off all of the procedures they had done that day. Priceless!

Actually, the side stories really dominated in this one, because I also really liked watching Ron and Chris together. They didn’t have a ton of screen time but man, Nick Offerman can make you laugh with just a stare. It’ll be interesting to see how this Assistant City Manager thing pans out. It would definitely work for the show, but I just can’t help wonder what’ll happen to Ben if he takes the job. I mean he’s managing Leslie’s campaign for now, but that can’t last forever. I’m sure they’ll figure it out though. The writers have been pretty good at including characters who don’t work at City Hall.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Paul Rudd’s guest appearance as well. I’m super pumped that they managed to land him for a role that’ll require more than one episode. The storyline between him and Leslie’s campaign wasn’t the strongest this week, but I liked his character. I can’t wait to watch that debate.

The Office – “Pool Party” (B)

“Pool Party” wasn’t as funny as I would have liked it to be, but I liked the ending so I bumped it up a few points. Watching Robert light up when he saw everyone enjoying themselves was probably my favourite moment from his character so far. It’s nice to see him get a little more developed. Also, you had to love Dwight sticking up for Erin with his “you’re an idiot” comment to Andy. We haven’t had anyone looking out for Erin since Michael left. Maybe Dwight can be that guy. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst move the show ever made.

Up All Night – “Rivals” (A-)

This has been one of my favourite new shows this season. On screen married couples seem to be the theme of this post, but again, Will Arnett and Christina Applegate are magic together. Those are two veteran actors who just clearly know what they’re doing. Plus, it’s nice to see Will Arnett finally get a show that stays on the air longer than a few episodes. That guy is too funny to keep getting cancelled.

Anyway, this episode won me over for two reasons. The first is the comparison the writers made between skipping ahead in a TV show and cheating on someone. That’s an issue that strikes close to my heart and they nailed it. Seriously, don’t skip ahead people. It’s a betrayal so complete it’s hard to come back from. The second reason I loved this episode was the fact that the TV show Chris cheated on Reagan with was Friday Night Lights. All the references to it throughout the episode were hilarious, and spot on too. Somebody on that show is a fan for real!

Yeah, I’m totally rewatching Friday Night Lights again...

Grey’s Anatomy – “Hope for the Hopeless” (B)

That was a nice subtle touch there at the end to have Christina playing with Zola set Owen off. The writers do seem to go seem to go that well a lot though. They either need to break them up or leave them alone, because their constant marital problems are getting a little stale.

As for the rest of the “Hope for the Hopeless,” I found it pretty average. It was very much a transition episode. But I did have a good time watching Callie and Arizona give Mark crap. They didn’t have much to do but they used their screen time well. Oh, and I’m excited to see this new roommate situation between April, Avery, and Karev. I’m a little sad they’re leaving the house – it’s kind of the end of an era – but this new living arrangement could be just as entertaining.

Give Up, You’re All Just Playing For Second

It’s been a busy week so I’m going to have to give you all the abridged versions of these reviews. Don’t worry, that just means you’re only getting the money insights this week.

Modern Family – “Egg Drop” (A)

This was one of the best episodes from the kids of Modern Family I’ve seen in a while. I loved the egg drop storyline, probably because my own extended family is just as competitive. The back and forth between Claire and Jay was hilarious and Luke in particular had an episode for the ages. And for the second week in a row Sarah Hyland and Sofia Vergara combined to form an excellent comedic team. I really do think it’s Sofia’s year to win the supporting actress Emmy. She has my vote.

30 Rock – “Dance Like Nobody’s Watching” (B)

Not a bad first episode back but very much a set up for the rest of the season. If there’s show on television more hit and miss than 30 Rock I’ve yet to find it. I liked Jenna’s new gig as a judge on one of those singing competitions. It was a bit one note, but her insults were spot on. I was a little less enthused about Liz’s odd behaviour. It’ll be interesting next week to see who her new guy is, but all the build up just wasn’t doing it for me. I think the WNBA dancer thing probably looked better on the page. Jack and Liddy’s scene together made me laugh though. I hope they bring Avery back soon. I think that would be fun to watch.

Parks and Recreation – “The Comeback Kid” (A-)

Overall this was a pretty great episode for the series. It gave Ben something new to do, relaunched Leslie’s campaign, and, most importantly, introduced us to Champion, one of the best canine characters I’ve seen since Eddie on Frasier. Pure genius by the writers. My only complaint was the ice rink sequence. I respect the writers for trying it – it was gutsy – but the bit went on a little too long for my tastes. Still, solid episode.

The Office – “Trivia” (B+)

I quite liked the premise of this one. Watching Kelly, Erin, Kevin, and Meredith fluke their way to a trivia championship was fun to watch, especially their very Slumdog Millionaire reasons for knowing all of the answers. Still, I hated the cold open of the episode and though I didn’t mind Gabe’s part, I found the side plot between Robert and Dwight lacking. I could have used a little more consistency.

Grey’s Anatomy – “This Magic Moment” (B-)

You can tell that most of the steam went into last week’s episode. The twins procedure was alright if not a little overblown, but I certainly could have done without listening to Bailey’s annoying problems or watching Teddy’s over the top response to Henry’s death. If she’s that emotionally unstable she shouldn’t be in an operating room in the first place. I’ll give Kim Raver credit for the ending, but the lead up to it was the kind of forced drama that’s only found in television operating rooms. I will admit though, I do like seeing Meredith and Derek happy for once. That bumped the grade up a bit.

Hey Everyone, Shameless Is Back!

The title says it all.

Spoilers below...

Shameless – “Summertime” (B)

Of all the shows that returned to TV this winter I think Shameless was the one I was most looking forward to. Sure, I forgot most of what happened at the end of last season – 8 months off will do that to you – but the show generated so much goodwill from me last season that even that vague recollection was enough to get me excited. Well that and the recap at the beginning of the episode... you forget just how many important scenes involve nudity until you see them all lined up in a row like that.

“Summertime” was more of a transitional episode though. I might have liked to see the show address some of the more pressing issues from the finale, but I guess I’ll just have to settle for the fact that at the moment they seem to be bubbling under the surface. Instead the writers upped the shameless factor, which is probably more in line with the original tone of the series, but did leave me wanting more.

Still, baby cages, foster kids growing weed, pot bonfires – it was like the writing staff was just testing how much they could get away with now that the show’s been validated with a second season. I think my favourite piece of the episode was Lip and Kev’s ice cream truck. The arbitrary ages for buying cigarettes, pot, and beer were pretty entertaining.

And then of course there was Frank losing Liam because he couldn’t pay off his $10,000 gambling debt. It’s hard to get more shameless than that. It was a pretty solid side story for Frank though, generating a lot of good bits from his character. His sleepover explanation for why Liam wasn’t with him made me laugh out loud (by the way, why was he sleeping instead of figuring out how to get him back).

No Steve in this episode though. That was the one area I thought we would get some more movement. All the poor guy got was a passing mention, and while I was happy to see that Fiona is still getting over him (her character had a great internal arc in the episode), I’m interested in seeing how the writers are going to bring him back. That’s assuming Justin Chatwin is coming back. He’s still main cast, right?

Now You’re Playing Logic Police?

First post of 2012. I’m probably as underwhelmed as you are.

Spoilers:

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

I have to admit, I almost missed this one. It’s rare for a show to start back up in the first week of January, much less the day after New Years (although apparently not that rare for How I Met Your Mother, as I reviewed an episode around this time last year as well). Thankfully though my DVR caught it for me and now I can tell just how delightfully average I thought it was.

First the good. Framing the story this week was a very charming side plot involving Marshall and his father. It’s a little odd that the writers decided to use a character other than Ted to narrate the episode two weeks in a row, but I guess they did have the break. Either way, it’s nice that they could get some more mileage out of what’s been a fairly well handled storyline by the writers. The ending alone really caused me to re-evaluate the whole episode. That’s been a bit of a theme this season.

Outside of its framing though “Tailgate” really didn’t stand out. Robin’s storyline was probably the best of the main three, but it was just a little too by the numbers for my taste. It was obvious that by the end of the episode she would be back on the air and the writers didn’t really throw many cogs into the old host with a screw loose gag I’m sure most people have seen a thousand times by now. Still, I liked her final speech on camera and I’m excited to see if the show can leverage some humour out of her and Sandy on a national newcast together.

I don’t know what the writers were thinking with Ted and Barney’s storyline though. Talk about recycled plotlines. Didn’t they already learn that running a bar is actually hard work the last time they started one in Ted’s apartment. I liked the Cheers like theme song and the fact that we got to see Will Sasso return (the wet hats joke was pretty well done) but I just couldn’t get past how blatantly they rehashed that previous episode. It seemed like I was waiting for some sort of twist in the formula that never really came.

Lilly’s small portion of the episode was probably my least favourite of the bunch. I don’t know if it was just underdeveloped or if it just took too long to get to the point, but every time they cut to her and Marshall it seemed to drag the episode downward. I’ve never really been a big fan of her father’s character either. They portray her mother as a pretty typical down to Earth individual and they portray him as the exact opposite. I’ve never been able to rectify those two together, and her dad has never been funny enough to make me want to ignore it.

Modern Family – “Lifetime Supply” (B+)

I think a better name for this episode would have been “Black Mouse” because pretty much every mention of the darkened creatures drew a laugh from me in what was a fairly solid return for the series after a short hiatus. “Lifetime Supply” may not have been Modern Family at its best, but every character contributed and on the whole that made for an enjoyable half hour.

Phil was hysterical in this one. It’s hard for me to think of a storyline more tailored to his strengths than the one the writers gave him here. I loved everything they tried after he missed his doctors call, from creepily watching his everything his kids did to the way the probability of his death kept rising as the day went on.

And Gloria was an excellent counterpart for him. Her story succeeded this week simply because she was the one who introduced us to the black mouse concept. I loved the way she made a cross every time she used the term and how she said the words black mouse with such fear and distain. Heck, even how she got angry at Haley when she called her father weird. Honestly, it’s hard not to love Sophia Vergara. No matter what the writers give her she makes it funny.

The other two major storylines both had their moments as well though perhaps not as many. Cam and Mitchell had a pretty solid week arguing over which trophies belong atop the fireplace. I can’t say I loved every second it, but there were enough great one liners (especially Mitchell realizing he was acting like a 14 year old girl) to make the plotline enjoyable.

The same went for Jay and Javier. I wasn’t always a fan of the storyline, but Benjamin Bratt’s Javier is a heck of a guest character, and there was definitely a lot to like. His coffee cake entrance in particular made me laugh pretty hard.

And he wasn’t the only guest actor getting laughs either. I really loved the contributions of Walt to the episode. He works quite a bit better as a bit player and I’ve got to say – he and Luke gave me some of my favourite moments from the episode. His comment to Gloria about winning a war sometime was one of those delightful little surprises I just didn’t see coming.

To the lines:

DOCTOR: You still exercising?
PHIL: Clearly.

CAMERON: So how was Lilly? I hope you weren’t too bored.
ALEX: Oh are you kidding me I love talking to her. She knows more words than Haley.

JAVIER: Golfing? Pfff, that is for old men and for women who like women.

CLAIRE: You’re perfectly fine.
PHIL: That’s very comforting coming from a marketing major at a party school.

MITCHELL: No no Cam. I was going to make a big display.
CAMERON: I believe you have.

And line of the night:

LILLY: Are you gonna die?
PHIL: I don’t know there’s still a 5% chance I’ll make it.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Suddenly” (A-)

First off, I need to apologise. I skipped out on reviewing the last episode of this series before it went on break and I feel terrible. Mostly because I didn’t get the chance to tell you all I told you so when Henry died, but terrible nonetheless. But for the record I liked it. I liked it a lot actually. It may be a little late to say it, but it was good.

 “Suddenly” was an excellent follow up. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Stella Maeve, who kind of snuck up and stole the episode as the eldest daughter of the family of crash victims. Her performance in particular – remarkably restrained considering how easy it would have been to overplay the grief – gave an emotional edge to what would have otherwise been a fairly standard patient story. The same goes for Ellen Pompeo who was at her side for pretty much the whole episode. I think this may have been my favourite performance from her since last season’s excellent “Golden Hour.”

And it’s a testament to just how good that patient story was that I went to it before the fallout from Henry’s death, another great storyline handled exceptionally well the writing staff. Grey’s has a tendency to be a little overdramatic (not a closely guarded secret) but the tension between Christina and Teddy in that operating room was real and executed very well. Kudos to the always steady Sandra Oh. I’m looking forward to seeing how Teddy deals with the loss. I found that scene in the morgue quite sweet somehow.

Let’s see what else... oh! Meredith and Derek got their baby back. I had fun watching that whole ending sequence actually. I’d forgotten that what kicked off the last two episodes was the two of them thinking they had lost their kid. But they got her back... I’ll just ignore the fact that the writers somehow managed to take her away from two surgeons.