That’s When I Realized I Was A Ridiculous Man

Other than The Office Thursday was a pretty good night for NBC.

Community – “Basic Lupine Urology” (A-)

I have a theory, and I’ve mentioned it before on this blog, that every episode of Community that features altered title music ends up being a good one. Now that’s an easy connection to make because altered title music generally means it’s a parody episode, but it’s more about the level of commitment the show has to these type of episodes. It’s their total assimilation of the genre, that keen eye for detail, that makes an episode like “Basic Lupine Urology” feel like an instant classic before it even hits the end of the third act.

Now I am by no means a Law and Order junkie. I’ve caught a few episodes here and there, but mostly in the context of I needed something to watch and there was nothing else on. But even still, I picked up on most of the subtle nuances in this episode. The way every witness or suspect can’t actually stop what they’re doing while they’re getting interviewed. The last minute information tidbit from the forensics expert. Meetings occurring in the middle of a busy street (with the nice added touch of construction in the background). They captured the whole aesthetic so well it may me feel like a much bigger Law and Order fan than I actually am.

As is almost always the case with these parody episodes, Abed, and subsequently Troy, were front and center, and both were relishing in their roles. Their good cop/bad cop routine – that for just a split second actually put Starburns at ease – was hilarious, as was their battle over who could get the last witty quip in. I also loved how little they cared that Starburns was building a meth lab. Real crime didn’t bother these fake cops all that much. Speaking of which, I hope Starburns isn’t really dead. I’ll miss him if he is.

Anyway, when the episode shifted over to the courtroom (where we got the hints of an A Few Good Men parody as well) things only got better. From Todd’s hilarious break down on the stand (I quite enjoyed his Iraq IED story involving the gift of a chair) to the complete misuse of the objection system, the entire sequence, which essentially comprised the third act, was fantastic. Plus in the lead up to it we got to here Michael K. Williams talk about how every man has got to have a code, a gift for anyone who has ever watched The Wire.

My only complaint about the episode was that we didn’t get to see much of Britta. Granted the one scene she did have was hilarious. I love that even the Law and Order scene change music doesn’t care what Britta has to say. That cut off was one of my favourite moments in the episode.

When you think about it, a Law and Order parody really is a clever move by the writing staff. Everybody, at one point or another, has sat down and watched an episode of the series. Community has often been accused of being inaccessible, and there’s some truth to that statement (though it makes it that much funnier for the diehard fans), but here was an episode everyone could relate to. It was the best of both worlds – the cutting parody that the show is known for combined with the accessibility of a show that managed to stay on television for something like 20 years. Hopefully this helps Community pick up a few of the fans of the latter series, though judging by the numbers this week it may have to be through word of mouth.

Eventually these parody episodes are going to have to grow tiring, but they sure haven’t yet. To the quotes!

STARBURNS: Dead yam, big deal. Order some ketchup.
TROY: That doesn’t make sense, you don’t order ketchup – it’s a condiment!
ABED: Troy, hey, walk it off, walk it off.

ABED: We named the yam Pam... it rhymed.

ABED: Clean up on isle busted.

STARBURNS: Kiss me!
GIRL: What?
STARBURNS: I’ll explain later.
GIRL: No!
STARBURNS: I’ll explain later!
STARBURNS: The explanation isn’t the issue.

TROY: Todd Jacobsen, you have the right to do whatever you want. Nothing you say or do can be used against you by anyone but we’d really like it if you came with us. Please and thank you.

TROY: Sorry about my partner. He’s been on edge ever since we switched.

ANNIE: That’s right, always have an exit strategy.

FAT NEIL: God forgive me, I did it for love!

PROFESSOR KANE: Holy crap. We are definitely dissecting pine cones next year.

And line of the night...

JEFF: Professor... thank you.
PROFESSOR KANE: It’s not a favour Mr. Winger. A man’s gotta have a code.
DEAN PELTON: Awesome.

30 Rock – “Live From Studio 6H” (B+)

The main difference I noticed between this most recent live episode of 30 Rock and its predecessor was how much this one relied on sketches to fill the time. The previous live episode definitely used cutaway bits as well, a necessary by-product of doing a live show it seems, but it also had a much more present story arc. This time around the story was used as more of a loose connector to tie together a disparate collection of scenes.

Now it’s not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. I’ll admit, last time around I enjoyed watching the show weave together its story in the live format, but it was still a live story, and the limitations of that made it nearly impossible to compare to any other episode of the series.  So it’s not a big deal that this episode decided to go with the sketch format. The style however made it much more akin to an episode of Saturday Night Live, and like all sketches on SNL, some of them hit and some of them miss.

Thankfully there seemed to be more hits than misses in “Live From Studio 6H.” I quite enjoyed the pre-commercial cutaways to (Nazi) Dr. Leo Spaceman and his 1950s counterpart as well as the grand finale of guest stars including (former 30 Rock writer) Donald Glover and Jimmy Fallon as the younger versions of Tracey and Jack. I would be remiss also if I didn’t mention Amy Poehler doing her best Tina Fey impression. Very funny indeed.

The highlight of the night though had to be Jon Hamm’s two sketches (I watched the East Coast airing for those of you on the West Coast wondering about the second sketch). His first with Tracey Morgan was so unbelievably hilarious I think if he wanted to Jon Hamm could be a regular on SNL tomorrow. He has that kind of range. And he followed it up quite nicely with a very chauvinistic version of newscaster David Brinkley, coincidently also Fey’s best sketch of the night.

I was less enthused about the Laugh-In and Honeymooners segments, though the latter had its moments. The real weak points of the episode seemed to be in the transitions, where the jokes tended to feel a bit more laboured. Jenna and Paul’s storyline was a major development for her character, but didn’t have the same amount of laughs as the rest of the episode. I did however laugh out loud watching Hazel rip a picture of Sinead O’Connor in half. That’s like a 20 year old callback and it was still funny.

In the end though I like shows that try things, and you’d be hard pressed to find many similar examples of a show breaking format like 30 Rock has with these live episodes (the closest example I could think of was Scrub’s My Life In Four Cameras). The effort in and of itself is commendable and for a show that’s struggled lately finding good new storylines for its characters this episode was a nice change of pace.

Now for the quotes:

YOUNG LIZ: Best prom night ever! I’m gonna lose my virginity in 9 years.

KENNETH: Ms. Lemon, Mr. Jordan just discovered you can get pornography on the internet.
LIZ: Oh my god, he’s gonna die in there.

ANNOUNCER: It’s the cheese that won World War 2! Don’t ask how...

DR. LEO: Your baby’s lungs need nicotine for science reasons.

DAVID BRINKLEY: Honey you have a dynamite shape, but you’re gonna have to shut up and let a man tell us what’s happening. Now is your father or a policeman nearby?

And line of the night:

KENNETH: And while they never found Jamie Garnett, that woman who stole his microphone went on to become... a wife!

The Office – “Fundraiser” (C+)

Perhaps I’m being a little hard on this episode, but after watching Andy finally stand up for himself last week I was hoping the writers would give us more than just an awkward dinner. He lost the fire he had at the end of that episode, which is a shame because it undercut what I thought was a very empowering moment for his character.

Now I know what you’re thinking – Andy spent most of the episode trying to openly defy Robert California so how could I possibly say he’d lost his fire. True enough, but the way he walked out of the office last week I got the sense he was done putting up with all of the absurdity from Robert and Nellie and the whole ridiculous situation surrounding her stealing his job. To me, a much more satisfying direction for the character would have been to not have him immediately subject himself to that situation all over again.

Of course it’s naive to think he wouldn’t become embroiled in the ebbs and flows of the office somehow, after all that is the show, but I see no reason why the writers couldn’t give him a week away from the rest of the cast. He may still have freaked out over not having a job, but at least it wouldn’t have been in front of the same people he’d so brilliantly walked out on the week before. While there were a few jokes here and there that worked in the storyline, namely from the dog guy of all people, for the most part I thought it was a disappointment.

Andy’s story served as just one of many threads in this episode though, and that’s where my assessment of “Fundraiser” starts to get little shakier. Darryl and Nellie had a fairly decent back and forth with each other in this one, but I’m still so disappointed by the way Nellie was introduced into the office that it made it hard for me to enjoy her attempts to win him over. The writers have tried their best to humanize her, but the bizarre way in which she took Andy’s job without any objection from Robert still looms over pretty much every storyline they put her in. Until they address that head on it’s going to be hard to enjoy her part on the show. And that’s disappointing, because other than that she fits the Michael Scott role very well. It’s just too bad they couldn’t have brought her in at the start of the season, then there’d be no issues at all.

Dwight’s story was probably most underwhelming of the episode if only because it felt a little too by the numbers. I’m sure if you look back through the ages you’ll find plenty of sitcoms that have already tackled the accidently-winning-a-charity-auction-with -much-too-high-of-a-bid storyline, and many probably did a much better job with it too. I didn’t mind Oscar’s storyline though. The writers have been stringing out the fact that Angela’s husband is gay for a while now, and while I kind of wish they’d do something more with it, at least it gave Oscar some good monologue material in this one.

Alright, now for my favourite lines:

RYAN: Okay, I’m sorry I’m not a fan of Jason Mraz or... The Beatles.
DWIGHT: You don’t like The Beatles?

DWIGHT: I don’t want to alarm people but there is a distinct chance that we are all about to be killed.
JIM: Well as long as you don’t want to alarm people.

KEVIN: It was my idea to not be raped.

And line of the night:

DOG GUY: No Kenny’s a therapy dog. He apparently thinks you’re in some kind of emotional crisis.
ANDY: Stupid dog.

Parks and Recreation – “The Debate” (A)

I have been looking forward to this debate ever since they introduced Bobby Newport (and subsequently Paul Rudd) as Leslie chief competitor. DVRs were set, phones were turned off, critical self-examinations about why I put so much stock into a half hour sitcom were ignored. Needless to say, expectations were high. And still I was not disappointed... “The Debate” lived up to the hype.

Though we haven’t seen much of him this season Bobby Newport is a great character with a terrific energy to him. Paul Rudd is quite the get as a guest star and he used his charm to max here. His childish responses were fantastically undercutting and frankly, downright hilarious, whether it be small moments like telling the audience his favourite Bond actor (changing his mind from Craig to Dalton) or just the general fact that he treated the debate more like a high school play than an actual battle of wits. He felt more like a loveable pawn then he did Leslie’s opponent and I think that helped this episode keep the focus on Leslie instead of him. He had very much the same kind of vibe Will Ferrell used to have in his Bush impressions.

But despite some of the more exaggerated comedic elements I was impressed at how grounded the writers were able to keep everything. Leslie’s experience debating a much weaker opponent struck very close to the truth. The balancing act of getting points across without seeming like a bully and the difficulties associated with intelligently dissecting catchy slogans and simple talking points in the limited amount of time allotted – the writers we’re clearly drawing from some real life source material.

The real magic of the debate though was watching Leslie finally seize her moment and turn herself into the contender she deserves to be. It’s almost fitting that Amy Poehler was the writer for this episode, because who better to get the first crack at Leslie’s closing remarks, the perfect summation of her character, than the woman who plays her. It was a fantastic way to cap off the episode and transition the season into its final stretch. Bobby Newport was right – holy shit Leslie, that was awesome.

The B stories were equally satisfying. Chris Pratt has to be one of the most underrated actors on television right now. He was laugh out loud funny in this episode and I don’t mean in the fake internet/text message sense either. I’m almost jealous of the extras who undoubtedly got to watch him act out even more of Andy’s favourite movies over the course of shooting those scenes. My only real complaint about that story was that we didn’t get to see much of Ron (though we did get to hear another one of his legendary speeches).

Chris, Ann, and Tom were also quite enjoyable. Watching Chris spin everything to the positive was quite fun to watch and very true to his character. I felt a little bad for him when Ann turned him down though. I guess I’m one of the people who thought the two of them made an entertaining couple. We’ll have to wait and see what the writers have in store for Ann and Tom. They seem intent on keeping those two in a perpetual state of having just recently broke up.

Alright, to the quotes:

LESLIE: I love it when you’re needlessly disgusting.

DONOR: So you do a lot of investing?
ANDY: We like to dabble. I recently invested in some shirts I got at a garage sale. Left those at Wendy’s on the way home. So (raises glass)... the economy.

BOBBY NEWPORT: I’m against crime and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

ANDY: And the guy says, “I used to fuck guys like you in prison.” By the looks of this guy this is not consensual sex we’re talking about.

JOAN CALLAMEZZO: Once again, Brandi and Leslie are essentially the same person.

And line of the night:

BOBBY NEWPORT: I guess my thoughts on abortion are... you know, let’s just all have a good time.

Sandwiches And Sex? I Want That!

Yup, I’m writing reviews again. Spoilers will follow...

House – “Body & Soul” (A-)

Finale fever is in the air, isn’t it? There’s certainly been some added tension to these last few episodes of House. You can sense that the shackles are finally off for this writing staff, which is probably why these past few weeks have seen such a major uptick in quality (though I’ll let you decide if the show is actually getting better or if it’s just that creeping sense of closure making average episodes seem that much better).

House and Dominika are probably the best example of that added weight. If this storyline would have popped up in the middle of season 4 I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it, but since the series finale is looming just over the horizon I find myself asking questions like “is this House’s happy ending?” and “is it possible for House to have a happy ending?” If I were to wager I’d probably put my money on the bittersweet send off, but a lot can happen in 5 episodes.

I’ll admit, on the surface it seems a tad conventional to end the series by giving House that elusive happy relationship he was never able to find during the show’s run (sorry Cuddy), but since House and Dominika have been anything but conventional in their time together I don’t feel particularly cheated with the premise. House has always functioned as one part medical drama and one part comedy, and Dominika seems to be a nice bridge between the two. She crept her way onto this series simply because she and House just have great chemistry together and it’s not hard to cheer for that. I just hope this wasn’t her last episode.

And I say that because of Wilson’s announcement of his cancer diagnosis at the end of this one, which is almost certain to dominate these last few episodes. There’s not too much to talk about at this point – the announcement was mainly there to serve as the episode’s cliffhanger – but it’s obvious what this represents for House. Wilson is essentially House’s saving grace. The one actual stable relationship he’s had over the course of the show. I think it’s safe to say that this is going to dishevel him in a way we haven’t seen before.

New Girl – “Tomatoes” (B-)

Well I don’t think I’m stretching too far to say that the Jess/Nick relationship, which has seemed almost inevitable since the series began, is closer to fruition than it’s ever been. Friends who aren’t into each other don’t fight the way those two did at the end of this episode, at least not on a sitcom anyway, and add to that the fact that Jess broke up with Russell... I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch to say they’re headed in that direction. Something tells me it won’t be hard to get Caroline out of the picture either.

But back to Jess and Russell – while I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the storyline that broke them up, it could have been a lot worse. When Russell and his ex-wife had that “passion” filled argument in the restaurant, I thought for sure the writers would take the predictable route and have Russell realize he still had feelings for her. I’m glad that they at least made it about Jess and Russell, instead of Russell and his ex-wife. That was smart. Still, the whole situation that led to that final conversation felt contrived and devoid of laughs. There wasn’t a whole lot of life in that storyline.

Nor was there much in Schmidt’s storyline either. I quite like Schmidt and Cece as a couple – I could actually see them becoming the staple couple of this show – but while the ending was sweet, the bulk of the episode was between Schmidt and Cece’s weird Russian roommate, who just wasn’t doing it for me. Her mean broken English bit just went on way too long, and reduced Schmidt, one of the most explosively funny characters on this show, to a series of reaction shots. Give Max Greenfield credit, he did his best with it, but he just wasn’t given enough to save the storyline.

I quite enjoyed the episode’s cold open however. Actually most of Nick’s tomato farming scenes were good, primarily because of how terrible he was at it. His inability to complete such basic tasks as watering plants was pretty awesome. The storyline came weirdly out of nowhere, and perhaps it’s somewhat contrived (alright, majorly contrived), but it was funny so I’ll let it go (that tends to be the best criteria for these things).

The writers have got to figure out what to do with Winston though because he has consistently been the weak link on this show. And you can tell that the writers aren’t oblivious to that fact either, which is why his circumstances seem to shift drastically on an almost episode by episode basis. He was downright annoying in this one, and I know he was supposed to be annoying in this episode, but it didn’t lead to any laughs, which should really be the goal for his character since I have very little investment in his relationship with Shelby, which is to say I don’t care about it at all.

Now, I am please to once again say – to the quotes!

NICK: Thank you guys for joining me on this momentous day. As you guys know it’s become a rough year for me. I got dumped by Caroline, and Julia. I opened myself up to love. I was hurt badly, I closed myself up again. The downstairs neighbor put a password on their wi-fi...

SCHMIDT: Beautiful women, you guys can say just about anything, can’t you?

SCHMIDT: You’re gonna sex me in my face?

SCHMIDT: I think I finally understand what The Tree of Life is about.

SCHMIDT: You like my personality?
CECE: I was surprised too.

And line of the night:

JESS: Stop making that face at me, I hate that face!
NICK: This is my only face. I don’t have a lot of faces.

Cougar Town – “Money Becomes King” (B+)

Krazy Kakes sure developed quickly, didn’t it? That’s the type of storyline a writing staff tends to string out over multiple episodes, but I think Laurie’s baking skills were just introduced last week so clearly they weren’t too concerned with making this one last. It’s a fun storyline though, and it should prove to be good material for future episodes. I mean, clearly that’s where this story was headed, so it doesn’t bother me that the writers rushed it along. Although, I do remember a partnership with Grayson at his bar – where did that go?

Anyway, the core of this story revolved around Jules and Grayson sorting through their finance. Well that and Jules dragging people into therapy. We’ll focus on the finances for now though. I thought it was a bit of stretch that the two of them didn’t realize that they would be living together when they got married, but the comedy in this one was strong enough to overcome some of these finer points. I thought the storyline really gained its edge when Andy started looking over their finances. That was a very funny scene.

I’m also a big fan of Jules aforementioned new therapist (she is new, right?). Nicole Sullivan is one of those familiar Scrubs players from back in the day (yup, back in the day) and she did a fantastic job in this episode playing off of Jules’ craziness without falling too sharply into the straight man (or in this case straight woman) role. She’s the type of guest star that could easily be brought back again and again, and if this episode was any indication that is a good thing.

By far my favourite storyline though was Andy and Bobby. Bill Lawrence, Kevin Biegel, and whoever else is on their writing staffs just know how to write the guy love (bravo to those of you who get the Scrubs reference in that). I laughed out loud several times at these two, from Andy’s torment over having to mess with Bobby to their hilarious tear filled reunion. It’s a B story that was so good it actually crept up and stole the episode for me.

Alright, line of the night:

JULES: Laurie, Andy wants to fire you!
LAURIE: Seriously Andy!

Life Is Happening!

I apologise once again for the short post... it’s exam season. Another week though and I’ll whip this blog back into shape.

How I Met Your Mother – “Now We’re Even” (B-)

House – “We Need the Eggs” (B+)

Cougar Town – “Ways to Be Wicked” (B)

New Girl – “Kids” (B+)

Modern Family – “The Last Walt” (B-)

Community – “Virtual Systems Analysis” (A-)

30 Rock – “Murphy Brown Lied To Us” (B-)

The Office – “Angry Andy” (C+)

Parks and Recreation – “Live Ammo” (B+)

I Don’t Want To Be Around When Something That Tight Unravels

Another quick one for you...

How I Met Your Mother – “Trilogy Time” (A-)

House – “Gut Check” (B)

Cougar Town – “You Can Still Change Your Mind” (A-)

New Girl – “Normal” (B+)

Modern Family – “Election Day” (B+)

Community – “Origins of Vampire Mythology” (A-)

30 Rock – “Meet the Woggles” (B)

The Office – “Welcome Party” (B)

Up All Night – “The Proposals” (B+)

Grey’s Anatomy – “Support System” (B-)

Does Anybody Go To Classes?

I should really be studying right now...

Spoilers:

Shameless – “Fiona Interrupted” (A-)

Wow, things wrapped up quite tidily this time around. Not that I’m complaining – Fiona and the family have deserved a win for a while now, I’m just a little surprised at how few crumbs the writers left for next season. If the show were abruptly cancelled, I have to say I wouldn’t feel that cheated with “Fiona Interrupted” as a series finale. I guess there’s Karen leaving though (I’m done commenting on Sheila’s future with the show as I’ve yet to be right about her once) and Ian sleeping with... Jimmy’s... father. Sorry, I’m still getting used to the name Jimmy. Also, the fact that a 50 year old man is sleeping with a teenager.

But what really made the episode special was the execution of some of the bigger moments. Fiona and Jimmy/Steve’s reconciliation absolutely lived up to the season’s worth of build up. Both Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin were fantastic in the scene, as was the writing. Lip too, had some great character moments in this episode. From his chat with Mandy on the porch to his parting words with Karen, it was nice to see him let go of some of that anger and finally come home. All in all, it wasn’t a bad way to finish off the season.

House – “Blowing the Whistle” (B-)

Overall, I was fairly underwhelmed. I was hoping for at least the signs of an end game here and this episode just felt like business as usual. Maybe Chase’s “betrayal” will lead to something bigger down the line, but honestly, the writing staff didn’t give me enough to make me care in that moment, which meant the reveal carried no weight. Perhaps my expectations are a little high though. With 7 episodes left there is still plenty of time to craft an ending. I just can’t help but hope they start building the finale sooner rather than later.

New Girl – “Secrets” (A-)

“Secrets” had me the second Jess decided that she needed to live in a more openly communicating household, even if it meant a few difficult truths getting revealed. The fact that I still smile pretty much every time I think back to her balaclava winter coat outfit just proves how funny that third act was. “Secrets” had a lot more going for it than just that though. Schidmt was once again at the top of his game. Nick had some great material, built on an ever-changing line up of young woman and a complete inability to keep a secret. And Cece went ahead and caught feelings, which isn’t that surprising considering it’s TV, but a promising development nonetheless.

Happy Endings – “Four Weddings and a Funeral (Minus Three Weddings and One Funeral)” (B+)

The writers were very aware that this was a season finale and I’m not sure yet how I feel about the love triangle they set up in the closing shot. The idea of revisiting Alex and Dave as a couple was brought up just a few episodes ago, which perhaps made it feel like this week they were just piling it on for the sake of making the finale feel big. But I do want to be fair here and acknowledge that that previous hookup may have also been a way to get the audience acclimated to the idea of those two together again. After all, the show has come a long way since its initial half-hearted premise and both of those characters have become exponentially funnier. The idea of them together again isn’t as awful as it once would have been.

I think the more interesting development was Penny realizing her feelings for Dave. That’s been developed quite subtlety over the back half of the season and it’s another pairing I wouldn’t mind seeing. In truth, I feel like Alex and Dave are more just an obstacle in the way of Penny and Dave, but I don’t want to make any sweeping predictions at the moment – both are probably just as likely. Besides Jane and Brad though (who have been together since the show’s inception), Happy Endings has sort of thrived off of not pairing up characters, which means the writers need to tread carefully no matter what direction they take.

As for the episode itself, Jane was really the one stole the show. Her exclusion from the wedding party was hilarious in and of itself, but the way she clawed her way back into it was equally funny. Max was also pretty great, in no small part due to the slew of fantastic one-liners generated from his all-male Madonna cover band Mandonna. And I’m pretty psyched to watch how Brad reacts to his unemployment next season.

One last thing – this has to be my favourite title for an episode of any show this season.

Community – “Pillows and Blankets” (A)

This is why Community is so awesome. When they hit the mark, they really hit the mark. “Pillows and Blankets” perfectly captured the feel of a typical PBS war documentary, complete with a pledge drive and all. The episode was so good it’s hard for me to even narrow down my favourite part, whether it be Britta’s terrible war photography, the reading of text messages like war letters, the Changlorious Bastards, the most geographically confusing final battle of all time... you get the point.

“Pillows and Blankets” almost definitely rates in my top 5 Community episodes of all time, and if you read this blog with any regularity you know what a compliment that is. Now if only other people could start watching these things... ratings dropped a bit again this week, not great for a show still waiting for a renewal.

30 Rock – “Nothing Left to Lose” (C+)

Ugh, speaking of shows with ratings problems, 30 Rock hit a new low with “Nothing Left to Lose” last week. Unlike Community though, the episode didn’t prove it deserves better. This was a very forgettable episode, and I mean that literally. I watched it three days ago and I actually had to go back and jog my memory as to what actually happened. The answer: not much. Liz’s patriarch-like influence over Tracey was too reminiscent of earlier seasons (I recall Jack once impersonating Tracey’s entire family), the payoff of Jack and Pete’s storyline just didn’t seem to justify the almost lackadaisical premise, and the only thing that charming about Jenna and the writers this week was the revelation that Kenneth is looking through everyone’s trash.

Up All Night – “Hey Jealousy” (B+)

Some great guest stars really helped this episode along. Megan Mullally seems to be in just about everything these days, which is fine by me. She and Maya Rudolph had great chemistry with each other in this episode. I think my favourite bit of the night was Reagan delivery the two of them a hair and makeup tent in their desperate final moments of the race.

Grey’s Anatomy – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (C)

Nothing happened in this episode.

Smartest Guy I Know

Umm, who else is pumped that Game of Thrones is back? Great! Now shut up about it! I haven’t seen the new episode yet.

Here are some decidingly not Game of Thrones reviews.

Spoilers...

Shameless – “Just Like the Pilgrims Intended” (B+)

I admittedly have some mixed feelings about this episode. On one hand, I like when the show throws a little drama into the mix. The past few episodes have done a good job of building off of each other and the culmination of Lip’s story, despite turning Karen into a far more unlikeable character, did seem rather fitting.

The same goes for Monica’s suicide attempt. Keeping in mind this is based almost solely on what I learned in a first year psych class, the writers (and of course Chloe Webb) seem to have a pretty good handle on the ebbs and flows of bipolar disorder. With the lows she’s hit over the past couple of weeks it doesn’t feel like too far of a stretch that this is where her character would end up. The real verdict on this storyline is still out though. Monica may have provided an interesting twist to the episode, but unless the writers follow up on it in a meaningful manner it just ends up being a manipulative ploy for drama.

I think what endeared me most to this episode was that the writers finally started using Steve in a way that made his character relevant again. He’s suffered a bit this season in the absence of any meaningful interaction with the Gallagher clan, and I don’t mean just Fiona. He got a little better when he started letting Lip stay with him, but this episode in particular reminded me what I liked about his character in the first place. I may not always be able to explain his obsession with Fiona, but I do like it when he’s around and coming through for the family in little ways, like picking up a turkey for Thanksgiving.

Still, the episode was far from perfect. I found the tone of the ending to be a bit scattered. Watching the family go from the shock of Monica’s suicide attempt to the euphoria of the birthing room (it made no sense that they were all allowed in there), just didn’t sit well with me. I’m also not entirely sure what to make of Sheila and Jody’s getaway. Is that how Joan Cusack’s “guest” role finally comes to an end? The fact that she was able to leave her house with barely even a mention kind of cast a shadow over all of her scenes. If that is the last we see of her I’m going to be a little disappointed.

Alcatraz – “Garrett Stillman” and “Tommy Madsen” (B+)

This was a decent finale. Unfortunately, most of the big reveals/twists were more building blocks for future episodes than actually illuminating pieces of information. Rebecca’s first run in with her grandfather didn’t have as many revelations as I would have liked, though I will admit I did not foresee him stabbing her. I was leaning more towards him simply being her misunderstood protector. If that’s still the case he’s not doing a very good job of it. As for her dying at the end of the episode, I have a feeling there’s some magic silver that can bring her back to life.

I was hoping for a little more out of the reveal of the mysterious room as well. I think the weight of the 63s showing up outside of the San Francisco area was lost on me a bit. I was hoping for a Lost hatch type situation here and it just didn’t quite live up to it. But this new architect type character they found in the room could prove to be more than worth the wait if the show gets renewed for another season (does anyone know where they are with this?). Past JJ Abrams shows have used these insider characters quite well before (Ben Linus anyone?).

New Girl – “Fancyman (Part 2)” (B+)

I have no idea why this needed to be a two part episode. Other than the Fancyman himself there was no connection between the two parts. In fact, the Fancyman (yes I’m going to keep referring to him as this) hasn’t even been written out of the show yet.

Regardless, while Part 2 didn’t entirely live up to the hilarity of Part 1, it still had its moments. Winston’s reaction to finally discovering Schmidt and Cece together was quite funny, as was watching Jess spiral after her train wreck of a date with Russell (Fancyman for those of you unfamiliar with that name). And while I thought Martin Starr’s guest appearance was somewhat wasted, the writers saved it a bit with Nick’s frequent “smartest man I know” quips.

Happy Endings – “Big White Lies” (B+)

This is exactly the kind of plot Happy Endings thrives off of. You have to love the spiral of Penny’s lies in this episode, and the lengths to which she’s willing to go to be considered a nice person by someone she herself doesn’t even like that much. None of it would have worked so effectively though if it wasn’t for the strong supporting cast around her. From Brad getting hilariously excited over different items of baby clothing to Max lying just so he can be a part of low stakes 80s sitcom hijinks (and let’s not forget his hilarious trash can oven) everyone in this episode contributed, which is exactly what you want to see happening with an ensemble cast like this one.

Community – “Digital Exploration of Interior Design” (B+)

So apparently everything this week is getting a B+. I didn’t plan it this way.

I have really enjoyed watching Gillian Jacobs these past couple of weeks and her forbidden romance with Subway was no exception. She has really been bringing her A game (at least something’s getting higher than a B+, right) since Community came back from hiatus. As for the character of Subway himself, apart from being a pretty creative way of product placement, I wasn’t entirely sure I got what the writers were going for with the concept. I do love former Scrubs alum Travis Schuldt though, and the idea of having Britta fall in love, literally, with a corporation makes me smile.

Most of my other favourite parts of the episode came in bits and pieces. I loved the “Save Garrett” campaign, as well as Annie’s shock that Jeff had missed orientation. I also liked Vice Dean Laybourne’s appearance, especially the fact that he was “going through some stuff,” with a brand new ponytail and a band. I’m looking forward too, to seeing how this tiff between Troy and Abed shakes out. That massive pillow war at the end there had the same sort of vibe as a paintball episode, which bodes well for next week.

30 Rock – “The Shower Principle” (B-)

Well credit the writers for their willingness to point out their own tendencies. That requires a certain level of bravery (like say a blogger pointing out his love of the B+ rating). My beef with this episode though wasn’t so much that it pointed out 30 Rock’s somewhat repetitive nature (and really the repetitive nature of sitcoms in general), it was that it just wasn’t that funny. As I’ve said many times before, 30 Rock lives and dies on the one liner and there just weren’t enough good ones to elevate this episode above the pack.

Up All Night – “Letting Go” (B+)

It just seems appropriate to end this post with another B+.

I was a big fan of Reagan this week, from her freak out after losing sight of Amy to her not-so-joking suggestions that Ava and Stevie Nicks bring her up on stage to sing with them. Even just watching her get kicked out of a ball pit was pretty funny. And though it’s a bit played out these days, I did enjoy Chris’s hockey subplot. If anyone can pull of the old faking it through the pain routine it’s Will Arnett, and he did. Oh how he did...