RIP Big Carl

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “The Magician’s Code” (B)

And so the season ended the way it lived –with a so so episode and a twist ending.

I’m going to focus as much as I can on discussing that ending because, frankly, that’s what I care about, but I will say, the writers really need to stop foreshadowing crazy future moments if they don’t have anything planned for them.  The “No Motorcycles on the Casino Floor” was a decent bit if only because of Barney’s bravado in the interrogation room, but Dr. Sonya’s blowout just seemed perfunctory and out of place. The novelty of these jokes, at least so far, aren’t worth the disruption they cause to the future episode they inevitably have to be inserted into.

 In general, the “The Magician’s Code” was fairly average from a comedy standpoint. I liked Marshall’s intense struggle to get up two stairs, but the rest of the drunk act wore thin pretty quickly. Ted’s “that person’s a parent” bit was pretty good too, even if he could only come up with two examples. I would have preferred more of those over the flashback stories Lilly kept demanding.

Regardless, baby episodes are always a bit of a letdown and it looked like the writers were just doing the best they could with a storyline that lends itself to clichés. Using Wait-for-it as a middle name was a nice way to add the How I Met Your Mother touch, but the obligatory delivery room bits combined with the fairly anticlimactic reconciliation of Ted and Robin bogged down the first half of the episode.

The writers are smart though – they know that people still care about the happily ever after of these characters and they use it to prop up these episodes that need the help. But since I’ve been speculating about who Barney’s bride will be for as long as I can remember it’s hard to be disappointed about finally getting an answer. While I’ve always maintained that Barney will end up with Robin in the end, now at least we know it won’t be a last minute catch-him-at-the-altar type situation. She did look worried when she saw Ted though, so I’m guessing there’ll be some potential cold feet involved. Of course I doubt the writers have planned that far ahead.

I think the bigger twist was Ted deciding to run away with Victoria. Everything up to that point in the storyline was fairly predictable, but I honestly didn’t see that coming. Shame on me I guess, since it is a finale. It’s another perfect example though of the writers leveraging the goodwill they earned in the show’s early seasons. I said it at the start of the season and I’ll say it again – I like Victoria, I like Ashley Williams, and I like that the writers have recognized her as the one that got away from Ted. What I worry about is that they don’t use her well and it end ups tainting those wonderful first season memories.

On one hand there’s a story worth telling in revisiting an idealized relationship that ended before it should have. In real life that’s a pretty common occurrence and it can hold people back. But at the same time, we know this relationship is doomed from the start, and if the writing staff isn’t delicate it could end up backfiring. It’s at the core of almost all the problems people have with How I Met Your Mother these days – every girl Ted dates that’s not the mother is a stall.

House – “Holding On” (B+)

This was a dark one. Granted it needed to be. “Holding On” dealt with some pretty heavy themes, and even though it was excruciating to watch at some points it was better that it stayed true to them than pull back in fear of turning off part of the audience.

There were a few times where this episode got a little off tone (I’m not sure we needed House using actors to psyche out Wilson one last time) but there were at least a few powerful moments to add to House’s prolonged farewell tour. I thought the scene where House revealed to Taub why he was so angry with Wilson was particularly strong. Before that moment I’d just chalked his behaviour up to House dealing with his emotions poorly like he always does, but after you could understand his anguish. He’s been living in pain all these years, if anyone’s allowed an opinion on that matter it’s him.  Needless to say, I thought it was one of the more intimate glimpses into his character we’ve seen over these past few episodes.

The other moment I liked was the scene where House told Wilson that Wilson was smarter than him. It was one of those easily forgettable moments, but it stuck out to me because I don’t think I’ve ever heard House say that to anybody. For House intellect has always been king. I think at least part of the reason that these two have remained friends all these years is that in some way Wilson challenges him in a manner no one else does. Of course I could spend hours uncovering all the different layers of that statement, so I’ll just leave it at it was a nice sentiment.

As for Thirteen’s appearance in the episode, it was for the most part well done. I’m glad they could get Olivia Wilde back in for at least one more episode. Granted her appearance felt a little “inserted”, but I liked the content of her few scenes as she fit in quite well with a lot of the themes in the episode.

Personally, I don’t think House as a series can finish on a completely upbeat ending, and considering he’s headed back to jail it looks like I’m right. But I do hope the writers leave House with at least some measure of peace. He’s not the easiest guy in the world to cheer for, but he’s been through a lot and he deserves that much.

Cougar Town – “Square One” & “It’ll All Work Out” (A-)

I’m so happy that Cougar Town got picked up by TBS. It’s been a rough couple of weeks speculating about what was going to get renewed and what was going to get cancelled and for a while there it wasn’t looking great for this series. Luckily TBS stepped in and saved the day, which is the second time they’ve done that for me. (They were also the network that picked up Conan. On a related note, watch Conan).

 And these last two episodes are perfect examples of why this series is worth keeping around. Actually ironically enough “It’ll All Work Out” had a nice meta commentary on the show’s long absence in the fall and the potential of its cancellation. It was a nice wink to the fans and a funny little setup for why the series was doing a Thanksgiving episode in the middle of May. Plus I have to agree with some of the points made by Jules, Laurie, and Ellie – I mean what is so great about those new people.

If I had to pick my favourite between the two episodes though it would have to be “Square One” by a small margin. I’ve loved watching Grayson and Jules take to going to therapy this season. Their therapist (played by Nicole Sullivan) made me laugh out on more than one occasion in this episode, which was by far her best appearance on the series. And while I literally said this exact same thing the last time she showed up, Nicole Sullivan is incredible at playing the straight man while still remaining funny herself. Watching her reactions to Jules and Grayson saying she was “off her game” was probably my favourite part of the episode.

Of course I’m always a fan of great Bobby/Andy moments and “Square One” had a plethora of those too thanks to the white shirt competition between Bobby and Jules, another quirky Cougar Town invention. I love how committed those two are to each other (Bobby and Andy that is), with Andy actually taking off work to follow Bobby around and protect him from stains. I mean the man took a meatball for him. They truly are worthy successors to Scrubs’ J.D. and Turk.

“It’ll All Work Out” was a very watchable episode as well though. The touching tribute to Big Carl in the tag was alone almost worth the half hour, but I had at least a few favourite moments in this one. Laurie’s explanation of her outfit, including everybody wondering whether it was supposed to be a costume or not. Stan, the toddler, somehow finding his own way downtown to tag things. Bobby’s touching words to beer. The box head of varying emotion.  Laurie’s vows about sex with Matt Damon watching. Wow, I probably should have just written this out in list form.

In general it was just a good week for the entire cast. To me, Courtney Cox has had incredible delivery lately. She’s always been funny, but somehow she seems even more comfortable than ever as Jules. And of course Brian Van Holt, Ian Gomez, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Christa Miller – everyone was on their game in these episodes.  Great comedies are born out of great ensembles and TBS was smart to scoop this one up.

Oh yeah, and Cougarton Abbey – hilarious. It’s nice to see them paying tribute to the British original.

Wow, Thanks For Ruining Cage Night

What I watched last night...

Spoilers:

House – “The C Word” (A-)

“The C Word” was exactly the kind of episode you want to see from a series before it goes off the air for good. I was worried that perhaps the writing staff would try to string out Wilson’s cancer storyline by giving us a reaction episode where House denies the problem or something very delay inducing like that, but luckily they moved straight to the punch.

And it was executed marvellously. I can’t remember the last time Robert Sean Leonard was given material this solid, but it just goes to show how good he can be when given the chance. Throughout the entire episode I can’t think of a scene between House and Wilson that wasn’t anything short of fantastic. Like Wilson going through his shelf of mementos from patients who had the odds in their favour and still didn’t make it. Or watching House’s promise not to take him to the hospital to die. Even just House’s final slide show was an oddly sweet (and hilarious) tribute to their friendship.

It was heavy stuff, but it was also a very revealing exploration of these two characters and the bond they share. For their part the writing staff was quite smart in their approach. I’m glad they didn’t have House simultaneously dealing with a case as they so often do when he’s away from the team for whatever reason. And mostly, I liked the growth House showed in this episode. He was the friend Wilson needed, listening to him, sharing his pain meds, and even putting up with his insults. He respected his friend’s wishes despite disagreeing with him and that’s not something the House from 8 years ago would have done.

The case this week may not have been at the forefront but with House gone I found myself enjoying that aspect of the episode more than I normally do. It seemed to add some extra drama to the proceedings, with the team struggling to assert themselves in the absence of their leader. Chase in particular had a good week taking over the reins for House. That may be something to watch for in these last few episodes if for some reason House decides to leave. If House (the character) has a legacy it’s in the doctors he’s trained around him, and on that team no one’s been with him longer than Chase.

How I Met Your Mother – “Good Crazy” (B)

It’s hard to believe this is the last episode before the two part season finale in a couple weeks time. It feels like the schedule for this show has been a little sporadic lately and I kind of assumed we’d get a decent run of episodes in a row before the show finished the season. Alas I was wrong.

Judging by the way this one ended the big storyline of the finale will be Marshall and Lilly’s baby. That’s an obvious bookend to the season but I can’t help but lamenting the fact that once again they aren’t taking us to Barney’s wedding. I guess that’s one for the series finale what with the mother supposedly being there, but I just want to point out that the writers have been teasing us with that for two seasons now and it looks like they’re going to continue into a third. That’s a bit disappointing. With any luck though, they may still reveal to us this season who Barney’s bride will be, which is something at least. I’d put my money on Quinn or Robin.

Speaking of Barney, he really was the saving grace of this episode. He had a lot going on this week and pretty much anywhere the writers inserted him he made the storyline better. It’s a testament to the writing staff how they’ve managed to keep him funny while allowing his character to grow to a place where he’s actually open to a long-term relationship. There have been some growing pains for sure, but Barney has a hilarious intensity to his character and the writers seemed to have realized that that works for more than just tricking girls into sleeping with him.

His impassioned speech to Lilly’s grandmother about the dignity of stripping at the start of the episode was fantastic, as was his quick entrance into Ted’s apartment after tricking him into responding to his fake online dating profile. And Lilly and Marshall’s storyline this week was a train wreck before he stepped in and took Marshall to Atlantic City. Even the condolence high five bit, which seemed a bit forced at the start of the episode, had me on board by show’s end.

Ted’s storyline was also good this week. In real life what happened between Ted and Robin would probably be the type of circumstance that would kill a relationship, but again I admired what the writers tried to do with it. Ted’s conversations with imaginary Robin were well written and made a decent case for why these two should remain friends. Plus they were quite funny, especially the increasingly obscure ways Ted went about reminding himself of her. Overall it was pretty clever way to visualize to the audience what was essentially a completely internal decision made by Ted.

Like I said before, the only real weak link in this episode was Lilly and Marshall, which is unfortunate considering the cliffhanger was Lilly going into labour. Marshall’s early exuberance in this episode just felt way too cartoonish for my liking (and we already have a cartoon character on this show in Barney) and came relatively out of nowhere. It was the kind of reinvention of character sitcoms love to do for a single episode to serve one particular storyline or another, and it rarely does more than reek of desperation.

Alright, line of the night:

TED’S DATE: My ex-fiancé Wayne, he had no manners.
TED: (thinking) Wayne had no manners... Wayne manners... Wayne Manor... home of Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman... mentor to Dick Grayson his orphan ward, who at night would done the colourful vestments of the boy wonder aka Robin!

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-)

No More KRANG!

I’m on a tight schedule this week, so I won’t be able to do my usual slightly more fleshed out reviews. Instead please enjoy my one sentence impressions of each episode.

There are no spoilers...

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

Meh.

Shameless – “A Great Cause” (A-)

*Slow clap*

Alcatraz – “Webb Porter” (B)

Pretty average.

Cougar Town – “Something Big” (A-)

Grayson’s daughter is a very funny addition.

New Girl – “Fancyman (Part 1)” (A)

Hilarious.

Happy Endings – “You Snooze, You Bruise” (B+)

*Golf clap*

Community – “Contemporary Impressionists” (B)

Not the best episode this series has ever had.

30 Rock – “Grandmentor” (B+)

The better episode of the night.

30 Rock – “Kidnapped by Danger” (B-)

The lesser episode of the night.

Up All Night – “Daddy Daughter Time” (B+)

Pretty much par for the course I guess.

--

I hope that was insightful for you too.

Judgements Are The Gluten Of Thoughts

Kind of a light week, but that didn’t stop this post from ballooning out of control. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “Karma” (B+)

I’ve quite liked the last few weeks of this show. “Karma” had a few distractions along the way, but for the most part I thought it had enough charm to get us through to the ending, which is where the episode really shone. I have to admit, Ted moving out surprised me. I didn’t see it coming until Marshall and Lilly showed up to an empty apartment. But the writers set it up perfectly, and though it’s a bit of a cop out to have Marshall and Lilly move back into the city so soon, the writers handled it well enough that I didn’t feel cheated. This is exactly the sort of change up this show needed and I’m looking forward to seeing how Ted makes out.

On a side note – and by all means let me know if you agree in the comments – I think a really strong indicator of a good How I Met Your Mother episode is that it ends with Ted walking the streets of New York alone. It’s probably something I should have picked up long before now, but whenever there’s a big turning point in his quest to find the mother, they leave him in that she-could-be-anywhere metaphor. Now all I need is a supercomputer and a crack team of researchers to prove the relationship exists.

House – “Love is Blind” (B)

I’m such a huge fan of what Michael B. Jordan has done on The Wire and Friday Night Lights that I think I got more out of this episode than I probably should of. For the most part it was just a run of the mill case, granted one with some terrific acting, but pretty average nonetheless. I liked that they finally let Charlyne Yi loose with Park’s acid trip. That was pretty funny. And so far House’s wife has been a great source of comic relief as well. Now I just wonder how much they’re going to follow up on House’s search for his biological father. I thought the Irish guy was a good match, but perhaps the writers have got something better planned.

Cougar Town – “Lover’s Touch” (A-)

You know I love a good Tom episode. The fact that he’s a neurosurgeon just makes his entire character that much funnier – the scene in the hospital hallway had to be the highlight of the episode for me. But the writers just did a really great job overall of ramping up the goofiness in this one and that’s what made it so enjoyable. The callback to Grayson’s rollerblading skills was fantastic, especially the nice added touch of a 1980s boom box on his shoulders. And I would really love to see Bobby’s blue prints for the dog on skateboard thing he had going on. What an invention!

 Modern Family – “Leap Day” (B)

Wow, the number of TV shows taking advantage of the fact that this is a leap year is staggering. Personally I think 30 Rock had the best take on it, but there have been a few good ones. What’s probably most disconcerting though is how many characters just happened to have a leap day birthday. Who knew so many people were born on February 29^th?

Not that that was a huge deal here. I just didn’t feel particularly connected to any of the storylines. I was actually a little surprised that Cam didn’t just love the idea of his original Wizard of Oz party when he found out about it. I guess I should never underestimate his ability to become faux offended.

Phil and the girls never quite got off the ground for me either. On one hand, I loved some of the scenes Phil and Luke had with each other. Give them the right material and they play off each other incredibly well. But the whole period storyline just felt a little too played out. I wouldn’t mind hearing a girl’s take on the episode, because there were times where it felt like the writing was just playing into the stereotype. I don’t know though, I’m not a girl (I like to work that once into every post – I have some grade school demons I’m still getting over).

Happy Endings – “Cocktails & Dreams” (A-)

When Jane woke up from her sex dream at the start of the episode, I thought to myself “oh, okay, they’re doing that.” You can probably figure out the inflection on your own. Sex dreams are funny, but they’re done a lot. Awkward glimpses, embarrassing admissions... you get the gist. But then Brad woke up, with that familiar sex dream howl, and showed exactly why Happy Endings has developed into such a fresh new comedy.

I love the idea of contagious sex dreams. The writers took a well worn comedic trope and subverted it, making it that much funnier in the process. If that doesn’t sound like familiar praise then you haven’t read any of my Community reviews. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Watch Happy Endings!

Oh, and some other stuff happened, Colin Hanks and so forth. It just didn’t seem as relevant. Contagious sex dreams!

30 Rock – “Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky” (B)

I quite liked Jenna and Tracey’s storyline in this one. The writers had a great take on many of the “good looking female cop” show clichés. The rest of the episode was pretty average though, especially when you compare it to what the show did the following week.

I’m excited to see where this storyline between Jack and Kenneth ends up. I’ve been watching some of the older episodes in syndication, and I couldn’t help thinking of Kenneth and Jack’s poker game back in the first season. I think Jack’s quote was somewhere along the lines of, in five years from now everyone will either be working for Kenneth or dead by his hand. Well not quite, but the story really does seem to me moving in that direction doesn’t it. Their back and forth in this episode may not have always brought the laughs as much as I would have liked, but I see a lot of potential with where the writers are taking this.

Sadly, I felt Liz ended up with the weakest of the three main threads in the episode. As much as I liked watching her get locked out of various rooms that belonged to her, it didn’t make up for the fact that I’m just not that invested in Frank’s relationship with his former teacher (played by Susan Sarandon). The last time she was even on the show was so long ago I think I kind of assumed they’d already broken up. Either way, it didn’t generate the kind of humour I would have liked.

Parks and Recreation – “Campaign Shake-Up” (A-)

With all the campaign events and preparations over the past few episodes remaining largely standalone, it was nice to finally get an update on how well Leslie is actually doing in the race. I liked that all of the hard work put into the campaign had Leslie polling at higher than her original 1% (a fact that I don’t think the writers had yet divulged since her scandal with Ben went public) probably almost as much as I liked that Kathryn Hahn’s Jennifer Barkley came in and threw a wrench into the whole thing.

And I know it’s only been an episode, but I quite like Hahn’s character. Her vibe is fun to watch. She’s not malicious, but she’s shameless when it comes to getting what she wants. While I may not have been a fan of her quickly cancelled show Free Agents this season, I respect Hahn as a comedic actress. She and Amy Poehler already seem to have good chemistry. It certainly makes it easier to ignore the fact that the whole reason her character was probably introduced was because Rudd was unavailable for the number of guest spots the writers needed (oh well, there’s still the debate to forward to).

Campaign Shake-Up wasn’t just about Leslie though, it was a great Ron episode as well. Whether it was his spectacular scenes with Chris or the continuation of his hilarious bond with April (though Ron seems to have a great connection with just about everybody... other than Ann), it was hard not to love the guy in this one.

I have a feeling that by season’s end we’re going to see some changes on this show. I’m already excited to see April in an expanded role in the Parks Department. You could kind of see that ending coming more and more as the episode developed. But considering all the recent interactions between Ron and Chris, I could see Ron getting promoted into Ben’s old job too. It’s kind of a cool idea and frankly, the prospect of it doesn’t bother me. Whatever keeps things fresh, right?

The other big hint dropped in this one too was the casual mention by Chris that City Council is only a part time job. The writers played it off as simply a way to set up Ron’s hiring storyline – and that could very well be all it is – but to me it sounded like the writers were creating the conditions so that Leslie could win her election without completely uprooting the show. Obviously, that’s a promising sign. First because I love Leslie and I want her to do well no matter what. And second, because I think Leslie in City Council would be hilarious. The Parks and Rec writers already do great work incorporating the town of Pawnee, could you imagine what they could do with a couple of crazy city councillors? That’s something I want to watch.

The Office – “Test the Store” (C+)

So word is out that Spader won’t be back next season. Not too shocking, but it’ll kind of leave a black mark on his remaining appearances this season. It’s hard not to feel a little slighted considering the writers have a spent a decent chunk of the season getting us invested in his character, but from the sounds of it he was never that well liked to begin with. Add to that all the other rumoured cast departures (Dwight getting a spin-off, Mindy Kaling leaving the show), you have to wonder how much life The Office has left.

It also rubs me the wrong way a bit that Jim has been pushed into the background when it comes to career aspirations. I still remember when he shared Michael’s job, and while that may not have been the best move comedically, it rubs me the wrong way to watch him get ordered around by Dwight as if he were just some giant screw up along for the ride.

Dwight’s character in particular can tend to grate on me after a while too and this was one of those episodes where I found myself wishing they’d tone down his shtick a little bit. It might have been nice to see Ryan shine again instead of having him flake out as his character always seems to do these days. He was probably never anyone’s favourite character, but I do remember a time when he was one of the leads on this show. For old times’ sake, give him a decent storyline every now and then.

Up All Night – “New Boss” (B)

Did I miss something or did they just break up Ava and Kevin off screen? I’m guessing Jason Lee suddenly became unavailable, but wow – that was way too abrupt for my tastes. It’s along the same lines as the Spader situation on The Office. They spent so much time developing that relationship, to see it (or not see it in this case) end off screen makes me feel a little cheated.

Which probably isn’t the best way to introduce the titular new boss character. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where I stand on either of the new characters, Yvonne or her ex-military underling Luke. It may have just been my chagrin over Jason Lee’s sudden departure, but both of them rubbed me the wrong way at various points in the episode.

There were definitely some decent bits in “New Boss” though, and I fear I’ve been a little overly negative in my description so far. Chris’s motorcycle ride was certainly fun to watch. I always love watching Will Forte be Will Forte. And despite my reservations about Luke, he did have a very funny purse strings bit with Reagan that made me laugh.

Still, I’m interested in seeing how permanent these new characters end up being.

Awake – “Pilot” (A)

Normally I’m not a huge fan of pilots. I mean I understand their limitations, and there have been a few in the past that have impressed me, but most of the time I find myself making excuses for the episode while throwing around the term potential a lot.

I have no idea how Awake is going to shape up – it could easily turn into a by the numbers procedural – but based off what I saw in the pilot episode, there are a lot of reasons to get excited about this series. The interplay between the two therapists was fantastic. The detective work didn’t have that stale, cheesy dialogue many of its television counterparts have. And overall, the episode was quite moving. If the series can capture just a fraction of the magic of its pilot, then it’s not too far of a stretch to say that it is going to do very, very well for itself (or get cancelled out of nowhere by NBC).

I’m definitely looking forward to next week’s episode already.

Real Life is for March

Sorry gang, busy week. I didn’t have the time to write out full reviews, but I’ll leave you with my ratings anyway. Special shout outs to How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock. I was quite impressed with both their episodes.

Oh and for once, absolutely no spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “No Pressure” (A)

Shameless – “A Bottle of Jean Nate” (B+)

House – “Man of the House” (B)

Alcatraz – “Johnny McKee” (B)

Cougar Town – “A Mind With A Heart of Its Own” (B+)

New Girl – “Bully” (B)

Modern Family – “Virgin Territory” (B)

Happy Endings – “The Butterfly Effect Effect” (B)

30 Rock – “Leap Day” (A)

Parks and Recreation – “Sweet Sixteen” (B+)

The Office – “After Hours” (B)

Grey’s Anatomy – “If Only You Were Lonely” (B)

Wow, a lot of B’s considering I didn’t have to explain myself at all. You probably shouldn’t read into that...

What Did The Rules Ever Get Me? A Bunch Of Music I Paid For!

Cougar Town is back! Also 20,000 other shows. Enjoy!

Spoilers:

Shameless – “Can I Have a Mother” (B+)

Whoa, is it just me or did that episode just get really sad, really quick. Ethel running away was very bittersweet. Her closing scene with Kev was fantastic, probably the most emotional moment of the episode. Unfortunately, I think this was the writer’s way of writing her off the show and I really wish they’d kept her around – she’s a great character. Oh well, at least she got away from that cult.

Wow, and then Sheila finally kicks Frank out. That was sort of a long time coming and it was probably good for her, I just don’t know how much we’re going to see her now without Frank in the house. Joan Cusack has always been billed as a guest star so I’m not sure if the writers are working her out of the show or if this is just a natural story arc. Hopefully they keep her around. She’s never been a true guest star anyway. She’s as big a part of that show as any other character outside of the Gallagher family.

And last but not least, it’s going to be a long road back for Fiona and Steve, that is if she ever talks to him again (she’s definitely going to). Do you ever get the feeling like you’re cheering for the wrong people on this show? When Fiona’s boyfriend (or whatever) walked out on her when he saw her and Steve come out of the bathroom I kind of felt like “good for you buddy.” I’d forgotten too that Fiona still didn’t know Steve’s real name was Jimmy. Luckily her reaction to the news was pretty decisive. Considering all the other bad news we got this episode though, its importance maybe didn’t register as much as it should have.

How I Met Your Mother – “The Drunk Train” (B)

Lilly and Marshall had a pretty so so episode, and the drunk train stuff was okay but not great. It’s more the potential this story brings that’s got me hooked on this episode. First, because I like Barney’s new girl, despite the fact that apparently she’s a stripper that Barney has frequented in the past. I don’t know if they’re gearing us up for a revenge storyline or not, but at this point pretty much any girl attached to Barney is a potential candidate for his bride at the end of the season (that is of course, if they even reveal that to us at the end of the season) and hence  peak my interest.

The second reason I liked the episode is because I read an interview with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and I think I see where they’re going with this Robin and Ted thing. Now yes, they aren’t going to end up together and it’s easy to see why people would be frustrated by the fact that they’re seemingly taking another step backwards, but there’s a lot of potential for growth for those two coming out of a storyline like this.

I spent most of the episode a little chagrined that Robin would even be considering marrying Kevin considering the writers didn’t give us that much before this episode indicating she was more open to the concept. But when you look at Ted in this episode and you look at Robin, they really are at two opposite ends of the spectrum from where they started out. Now this is the spoilers part so if you don’t want to learn the premise of an upcoming episode (tonight’s potentially) turn away. So anyways, this is what Bays and Thomas were saying – apparently early in the run of the series the two of them discussed their five year plans. The plan is to give each character the opportunity to evaluate where they were 5 years ago and how far they’ve come. Done right I think that’s a really cool idea for an episode.

And to be honest, it does make a lot of sense for Ted to do what he did. He and Robin originally broke up because she never wanted to get married, but both of them were head over heels for each other at that point. Now all of sudden the only real reason why they didn’t stay together disappears – I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch that he would want to revisit that relationship again. The guy’s desperate.

Are they spinning their wheels? Sure they are. But they’re going to be doing that until the series finale (unless they reveal the mother before then). It’s how they’re filling the time in between that’s going to keep the show watchable. Take a good storyline when you can get it.

*** Note *** This was written before tonight’s episode. ***Note***

House – “Chase” (B+)

I don’t know if it’s because I’m all of a sudden looking at this show through rose coloured glasses, but I’ve enjoyed the last couple of episodes since the announcement the show would be ending. This was a solid look at Chase, a character who for the most part hasn’t really had much given to him over the past few seasons, and it did a great job of reminding exactly what made him interesting in the first place. Well, with any luck this episode was his route back to prominence.

It was the final scene between House and him that really stuck with me. When House essentially admitted to Chase the decisions he’s made that have led him to be as unhappy as he is, it felt like real character development for both of them. It helped that Chase was sporting his own House-style limp, but you could see the parallel between the two characters, and for once you saw House trying to break the cycle. Actually giving a crap about someone other than himself and admitting it to that person... that doesn’t happen often.

Again, it could just be rose coloured glasses, but this is exactly the type of storyline that the end of a series can bring.  I don’t know if you can give House’s character a truly happy, set sail into the sunset type ending, but little victories like the one in this episode (and hopefully the writers haven’t completely finished with this storyline) should be able to bring the series to a satisfying close.

Alcatraz – “Paxton Petty” (B+)

I’ve really liked the progress this show has made over the last couple of episodes. These flashbacks are getting more and more intense and because of that I’m starting to get more and more hooked into the basic mythology of the series. “Paxton Petty” in particular was the perfect way to use one of the 63 inmates. I loved how the writers connected Petty to the early relationship between Lucy and Hauser. It took the focus away from a once-off character and put it back onto the main story that comprises the backbone of the series. If the writers can figure out a way to strike a balance like that in every episode – and it’s starting to seem like that’s the direction they’re going in – watch out, because this show could get good.

Cougar Town – “Ain’t Love Strange” (B+)

It may not have been the definitive episode of the series, but I like the direction the writers took for the rest of the season. Grayson and Jules were obviously destined to get married eventually, why not just go ahead and get them engaged in the season premiere. There’s no need to string us along. It’s not like they’re going to lose what makes them funny by getting them married. If anything it’ll make them funnier. Though I do wonder how Tom’s going to creep on Jules once she’s a married woman...

Obviously the proposal was the centerpiece of the episode, so I guess it was sort of natural for a few of the other storylines to get a little neglected, but there were some decent bits sprinkled into the B stories. They finally decided to Stan an age bump and thankfully it wasn’t as abrupt as I’ve seen on a few other shows of late. Hopefully the writers stick with this bond Laurie seems to have found with the kid. That’s got a lot of promise.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the green screen. That has to be one of the weirdest/surprisingly effective ideas for a joke I’ve seen in a while. It makes you wonder if maybe that was born out of a real life experience. Either way, I’ll be hard pressed to get the image of Bobby and Andy flying hand in hand through the clouds out of my head, and that’s a good thing.

New Girl – “Valentine’s Day” (A-)

This was a very funny episode. Anytime someone quotes Malcolm Gladwell in reference to obtaining one night stands, it doesn’t really matter what else happens in the episode the end result is going to leave an impression. But I liked just about everything in this one – from Jess’s all round hilarious experience finding a suitable partner to Schmidt and Cece finally hooking up to Nick and his very funny side story with Julia and her assistant (Hot Tub Time Machine’s Clark Duke). Even Winston got a few good laughs, and that was despite being pushed to the background once again.

Modern Family – “Aunt Mommy” (B)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this episode. The surrogate storyline was kind of funny, kind of weird. I wasn’t a huge fan of the little conference Claire and Mitchell held under the table at the end of the episode. It just seemed a little too cute for my tastes. But there were a few good one liners here and there. Phil still makes me laugh on an almost weekly basis. As for the other big storyline this week, I quite enjoyed Gloria and Manny’s penny collection, even if it wasn’t the funniest thing I’ve ever seen from the duo. It had a sweet ending and I still respond to those brief moments when Jay lets his guard down.

Happy Endings – “Everybody Loves Grant” (B+)

A pretty solid episode in my books. This show is still in that wonderful sweet spot where everything it does still seems fresh to me. I loved Dave’s cool guy act. And the scene where they went through the group assigning roles was pretty special, precisely because Dave ended up as the “Dave of the group.” I also loved the fact that the “Dave” of the Dave Mathew’s Band isn’t Dave Mathews himself. Oh and full chickens down the garbage disposal – hilarious.

30 Rock – “The Tuxedo Begins” (A)

“The Tuxedo Begins” was probably the best episode 30 Rock has had all season. I actually can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard at the show (this was perhaps one of those “pleasantly surprised” A’s). The Dark Knight parallels were just placed in there so subtly that by the time I realized where they were going with it, it was 10 times funnier than it would have been otherwise. It’s actually the kind of episode that wouldn’t be all that out of place on an episode of Community, ironic since 30 Rock took over their timeslot.

Here’s hoping they don’t totally drop the Jack running for mayor plotline. I actually thought that was a pretty funny idea.

Parks and Recreation – “Dave Returns” (A-)

Ahh, Duke Silver, how I missed you.

Yeah, Andy in a recording studio was a great idea. But I actually thought April was the break out star of the episode. All of her piped in comments about Andy’s unconventional genius really made my night. Well that, and her enthusiastic destruction of all the Duke Silver memorabilia she could find. I also liked watching Ron take over the studio. The way he’s always looking out for Andy is such a nice touch to his character.

I’ll reserve my judgement on Ann and Tom for another episode. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting the rest of the parks department to find out about them so quickly (though I don’t know why as it does seem to fit Tom’s character perfectly), nor was I that keen on Tom’s attempts to win her back. I thought perhaps they’d dial back some of his more... we’ll say quirky, personality traits as he tried to win Ann over, but not so much I guess. I still see a lot of potential in that relationship if the writers can find a good angle for it.

It was also nice to see Louis C.K. return to the series. Dave was always a good character. It was a little weird to see him turn into the crazy ex-boyfriend – he always used to play straight man to Leslie – but at least they kept his familiar cop-talk way of speaking. I have no idea if they’d ever be able to swing this, but Dave as police chief would be an incredible get for the show.

The Office – “Tallahassee” (B+)

Not a bad episode. I think above all it was a great coming out party for Stanley. Especially the way Jim started to look up to him after previously believing he never wanted to turn out like him. And speaking of Jim, that was the best cold opening I’ve seen all year. They’d been struggling with those lately and this one seemed to come out of almost nowhere. I guess it just goes to show what a change of scenery can do for a series.

The rest of the Tallahassee storyline kind varied after that though. There were times I was laughing at Dwight and other times where I thought the whole appendix storyline was just a little too much. I still don’t have a good beat on Catherine Tate’s character either, which made my enthusiasm for her part in the episode a little temped. Still, the rest of the crew back home had a good week, and I especially love that Andy is missing Erin, so overall I’d still give the episode my seal of approval.

Now all NBC has to do is figure out how to get people to watch. “Tallahassee” was lowest rated episode The Office has ever had, and that’s going all the way back to the ratings challenged first season. Of course, I guess to be fair it was the highest rated episode on NBC that night. That’s a little sad, isn’t it?

Up All Night – “Travel Day” (B+)

I’m really starting to wonder if Jason Lee is just on this show now. I mean the writers have had plenty of opportunities to break Kevin and Ava up – it seems like pretty much all they do is fight – and he’s always back the following episode. Now don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing. I think the guy is a great addition to the show. I’m just surprised he surviving all these tussles.

“Travel Day” was a charmer though. I quite liked Chris and Reagan’s trip through the airport. It was funny and it ended with Chris’s heart melting speech on the plane – it’s hard to do better than funny and sweet. And the wedding wasn’t too bad either, if only because we got introduced to Ava’s old girl group, the Lennon and McCartney of Hip Hop. Or wait, was that the Simon and Garfunkel of Hip Hop. Either way I hope this wasn’t the last time we see Alanis Morissette on the series.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Have You Seen Me Lately?” (C+)

This episode just had some serious tonal issues. Callie’s storyline was trying way too hard to be funny, to the point where it could have passed as a parody on how narcissistic the characters on this show really are. And then you’ve got the collapsing pregnant intern describing her symptoms as she’s falling to the floor. I mean, really? Is it just me or is that not trying a little too hard to be quirky.

I wasn’t huge on Christina and Owen’s therapy session either. I don’t think either of those two came off all that likable. It actually just served to highlight all of the reasons why I never liked their relationship in the first place. And what I really don’t understand is why the psychiatrist needed to be hidden for most of the episode, like there was going to be some big reveal at the end. There wasn’t dammit!

What If I Had A Croissant Blog?

Here’s the weekly roundup...

Spoilers:

Shameless – “Father’s Day” (B+)

Another step in the right direction. I thought “Father’s Day” did a great job of carrying the momentum from last episode, and that’s a little odd because I can’t think of any developments that were that major – it was just funny all round. I’m glad Steve’s back. I quite liked his scene with Fiona. Very understated, but I think that’s probably more true to life than most would care to admit. I also loved Sheila’s reaction to hearing that Frank slept with Karen. I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming. I probably should have, but I didn’t.

I’ve noticed that the writers have kept up with this spare room idea. I’m kind of wondering if this is going to be a recurring thing they do all season long, just a revolving door of tenants. Or perhaps this new stripper is here to stay (and if that’s the case I hope they keep her as undeveloped as she is now – these brief glimpses are so much funnier than giving her a real backstory). Either way I’ll be keeping an eye out.

How I Met Your Mother – “The Burning Beekeeper” (C)

This episode was painfully unfunny. I respect the show for the ambitiousness of the concept – it’s no secret How I Met Your Mother is willing to try things – but I sat in silence through most of this one. It felt a bit like some poor stand up comedian bombing out on stage. You could tell they were trying, but the harder they tried the more painful it got.

None of the rooms really had any cohesion. It seemed like the more foreshadowing they did for each of the 5 minute segments the more the episode disappointed. Each set up seemed to be perfunctorily dealt with, as if they were something to get out of the way rather than something to build off of. It felt like there was a different writer for each room and none of them were speaking with each other that week. Needless to say, there weren’t a whole lot of surprises.

And the last room was the worst. There was a chance, had something, anything, panned out over the course of “The Burning Beekeeper”, that it could have salvaged the episode, but it didn’t really give us anything to make it worth sticking around the whole half hour. Not the reason for Robin and Ted’s fight. Not the reveal of the mystery man in the beekeepers outfit. Not even Marshall quitting. It was the underwhelming cherry on the top of a forgettable episode.

House – “Nobody’s Fault” (B)

So it’s official – House is sailing off into the sunset at the end of the season. It’s bittersweet to say the least, but I don’t think I’ve kept it a secret that I think it’s the right move. The show has struggled over the last couple of seasons, and I hate watching once great TV series get bled out in their waning years. I think it’s better to end House now than to watch it implode simply for the sake of keeping it on the air.

And hopefully this allows the series time to give itself a proper send off. This final string of episodes should be better than whatever the writers had planned to keep the show going. There’s nothing like finality to creatively reinvigorate a series.

In fact, armed with the knowledge that the show was coming to a close, I found myself pleasantly surprised with “Nobody’s Fault.” I like it when they bring in an outsider, someone who isn’t familiar with House and his methods, and shine a different perspective on the character. After this many years on the air viewer fatigue is a huge problem, and it’s episodes like this one that really remind you why the character was so interesting in the first place. Obviously, I doubt there’s much of a chance the writers had any idea the series would be ending when they penned “Nobody’s Fault,” but it was definitely timely.

Alcatraz – “Guy Hastings” (A-)

I actually thought, outside of maybe the original set up in the pilot, that this was Alcatraz’s best effort to date. For once I felt like the episode found the perfect balance between connecting to the overall arc of the series and showcasing the inmate of the week (or in this case guard). The bread crumbs just seemed to be trickling a little faster in this one and that was good for a couple of reasons. One, it made Ray’s character infinitely more interesting and likely just gave us somebody else we know to watch for in the prison flashbacks. And two, it gave Madsen some leverage over Hauser which is probably going to lead to a more adversarial relationship between the two of them and in the process hopefully a deeper exploration of the mythology of the series.

New Girl – “The Landlord” (B+)

While it may have gotten a little silly at the end, I couldn’t help be charmed once again by the remarkably fresh writing on this series. When Jess talked down the guy brandishing a pistol into giving her and Nick the parking spot I laughed out loud. And many of her early interactions with the landlord were equally as funny. You also had to love watching the guys clear out a bedroom in under a minute. Who left the library in such a mess?

Winston however still seems to be struggling to find his place on the show, and you can tell the writers know it. They’ve made a few attempts to give themselves something to build off of, but nothing has really stuck so far. Wasn’t he going to be a nanny? Or what about his hilarious skills playing the bells? Can we not make a thing out of him quickly picking up random, completely unmarketable skills? Even the way the writers tried to give him a love interest last week felt a little forced – he wasn’t developed enough yet for any of us to care. Cece may be able to skirt by as a background player, but Winston lives in the apartment, and the disparity between him and the rest of the guys is starting to become distracting.

Modern Family – “Me? Jealous?” (B)

I didn’t really have strong feelings either way for this one. I liked Cam and Gloria together, especially Manny’s masterful manipulation of the two of them. His friend does sound like a real piece of work. I was less enthused about Jay and Mitchell. That storyline just didn’t seem to go anywhere for me. Phil and Claire had a decent week as well, but I’m having a hard time of remembering anything that really stood out for me other than Betty Luke, which I guess is good for that joke but bad for the rest of the episode.

Happy Endings – “The St. Valentine’s Day Maxssacre” (B+)

This episode didn’t quite live up to the hilarity of the one that came before it, but there was one joke in particular that bumped it up for me almost singlehandedly, and that was Dave’s middle school e-mail address. Capital H Hilarious. The rest of the show had its moments though. I liked Alex’s numerous retellings of the story of St. Valentine, each revealing an even worse demise for the protagonist. And Brad’s plaque plaque was pretty clever. That dude really loves the dentist. Overall I didn’t think it was a bad outing for the series.

30 Rock – “Hey, Baby, What’s Wrong” (B)

The big hour long Valentine’s Day episode. I thought Liz and Criss’s Ikea storyline was clever. With the amount characters on TV talk about that company it’s about time one of these shows actually went there. I’m also kind of wondering if perhaps Criss is here for the long haul. It’s a little naive of me to think that a guest star on a sitcom will be around for any length of time, but it would be a new look for Lemon and if I were a writer in the sixth season of a comedy series I’d want to take whatever creative springboard I could get. For this episode anyway that does seem to be where it’s going, but who knows – these things can turn on a dime.

The rest of “Hey Baby, What’s Wrong” was fairly average for me though. I didn’t care much for Tracey and Frank leading Lutz around. Jack and Avery’s mother had good bit going with their trip to the UN, but once they left the building they came back down to Earth. And while I love the fact that Pete used to be an Olympic calibre archer, there wasn’t much else that stood out for me in his guest producing stint (I didn’t know that was a thing) on Jenna’s new hit TV show.

I do have to commend casting choice of Kristen Schaal as Kenneth’s Page replacement though. That part is just tailored to her exact style of humour and since Flight of the Conchords went off the air I’ve missed her. She’s almost definitely going to flame out of the Page program, but it should be a good ride while it lasts.

The Office – “Special Project” (B)

Second episode in a row without an appearance by James Spader. I don’t know how much I should read into that, but I’m pretty sure he’s only on a one year contract, and the way they’ve been sparingly using him of late doesn’t bode well for his future with the series. I’ll let you decide if you think that’s a good or bad thing.

I didn’t think “Special Project” was the funniest episode I’d seen this season, but I am looking forward to the titular special project. That’s a rag tag group of characters with a lot of potential for laughs. I like that they’ve gotten Ryan involved. It’s not that he needs to be as main a character as he was in the first few seasons but it’s nice to see him with a little more screen time. And Erin – I think there’s going to be some drama there. She’d better not stay in Florida, dammit!

The only thing I could have done without is the writers turning Kathy into a home wrecker.  Despite being painfully underdeveloped before this episode, she didn’t even seem to like Jim that much, so her infatuation with him just didn’t seem earned. I’ll give the storyline a chance though, seeing that it hasn’t really even started yet. Otherwise I think I might be doing some book cover judging or whatever...

Up All Night – “Day After Valentine’s Day” (B+)

You know, it doesn’t really matter what they’re given, I could watch Christina Applegate and Will Arnett do just about anything and like it. And sometimes I wonder if that maybe covers up for the odd weak script here and there. “Day After Valentine’s Day” felt like one of those episodes. Not terribly clever, but fun nonetheless thanks to some great work by the show’s two leads. There’s not much more to say than that.

Grey’s Anatomy – “All You Need Is Love” (C+)

I don’t know what it was about this episode, but it just seemed like it epitomized all of Grey’s bad habits. Perhaps it was the Valentine’s Day theme. Give an already melodramatic show that kind of ammunition and you can’t be that surprised when they turn up the schmaltz.

It does seem though that this hospital has had more than its fair share of accidents befalling it. That car barrelling through the front door was completely unnecessary. They didn’t even follow up with it – no one from that point on even mentioned the big hole in the side of the hospital. Hell, the patient that crashed through the door barely even registered.

And while I like that Derek and Meredith are finally happy, their happiness finally became annoying in this episode. Now I get that it was more for Lexi’s storyline then it was for them, but give the actors something more than “crash through the house giggling.” There had to be a better way to do that scene. Add to that a few terrible monologues by both doctors and patients, and you had a pretty good reason not to like the episode. I can see more than a few Grey’s haters pointing to this one as an example of why they don’t watch the show anymore (or in the first place).

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.