I Liked Horsebot 3000

So it’s really late right now... please forgive any spelling/grammar/giant chunks of missing text mistakes that may very well be scattered throughout this post. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

Community – “Studies in Modern Movement” (A-)

I don’t know if this is precisely the right rating for this episode, but the last act of “Studies in Modern Movement” made me laugh so hard I couldn’t help but look back over the rest of the proceedings with rose coloured glasses. It still amazes me how well this show manages to mesh its extremely outlandish style with genuine heart, but once again the writers impressed me by delivering just the right combination of humour and sentiment to make it all work.

I was quite excited about Annie moving in with Abed and Troy when it was casually mentioned all the way back in “Remedial Chaos Theory,” so I’m pretty happy that it’s actually stuck. And just based on what I saw in this episode I sincerely hope we get to see more of their adventures in the future. Every time we get a glimpse into Troy and Abed’s personal lives it’s a treat. I loved both of the puppet shows and the call back to Troy’s candy cigarette use (“picked the wrong week to quit”), but more than anything I loved the sweet ending where the boys told Annie that they needed her. There speech about how to use irons and get out Kool-aid stains had to be the highlight of the episode for me.

Of course I thought Jeff’s story with the Dean, or as we came to know him this week, Craig, was also really well done. The storyline got off to a bit of a slow start, but once the two of them were rocking karaoke together the jokes seemed to be firing on all cylinders. I hate to say it, but that might have been the most hauntingly beautiful rendition of Kiss From a Rose I’ve ever heard.

Actually, that karaoke moment transitioned into what was a rather surprise musical number in the middle of the episode. Although being that this show jumps the shark on almost an episodely basis (it’s a word) I don’t know why it caught me off guard. Either way though, I liked it... especially Pierce’s paint fume induced hallucination.

In fact, there were a few great little side stories that really rounded out the episode. I mentioned Pierce, and that had to be maybe the most perfect Chevy Chase geared storyline the writers have come up with in a while, but the Brita and Shirley pairing also panned out quite well. I don’t mention this enough, but I love some of the subtle line deliveries from Yvette Nicole Brown. She’s great at those under the breath comments Shirley loves to make.

Alright, to the lines:

ANNIE: Brita, don’t make jokes... you’re bad at it!

ABED: And if the rooms a rockin’ please come a knockin’ because there’s something probably terribly wrong.
TROY: Yeah, we’re pretty chill in there.

DEAN PELTON: This is gonna be fun... or else.

ABED: The dreamatorium is non-negotiable, read the lease.
TROY: Especially the part we added in Crayon.

ANNIE: I mean I can rearrange the throw pillows. You have them arranged by size instead of colour.
ABED: What did I say?

And line (or you know, extended sequence) of the night:

TROY: There’s a couple of things that we were hoping that you’d help us with.
ABED: Yes, like where does the water go in the iron?
TROY: And what’s the iron for?
ABED: And what gets out Kool-aid stains?
TROY: Yeah, we already know that the opposite colour Kool-aid doesn’t work.

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

Ah, the good ole’ Model United Nations episode. Didn’t Community just do this like 5 or 6 episodes ago? Oh well, it’s pretty easy to see the appeal from a writing standpoint. There are just so many hilarious bits you can do with a Model UN. It’s like a springboard of good ideas, and Parks and Rec capitalized on many of them in this episode.

Honestly though, as funny as war breaking out in the Model UN was, I thought the emotional conflict between Ben and Leslie really stole the show. The writers are clearly setting the groundwork for the two of them to back together, but regardless I’ve really enjoyed the way they’ve handled Ben and Leslie dealing with their breakup thus far.  Ben’s speech to Leslie about how you can’t just pick and choose which aspects of a relationship you want was spot on. I want the show to make me laugh, but it’s a nice added touch that it can also be so pointed as well.

Speaking of people getting back together actually, I’m going to make one of my bolder calls in a while – I  think the writers may also be gearing up to get Ann and Chris back together. Ann got to clear the air a bit about their break up in this episode and to me that seems like a nice first step forward towards the two of them starting things back up again. Just watching the look of surprise and realization on Chris’s face after she broke it down for him suggests something more might have been at work there.

Ron and Tom’s storyline this week sort of played off the crackpot convention bit this show does so well. I must say, though it’s been done before, the people they interviewed to replace Tom were all quite funny. Especially the last guy, who was so sketchy and so out of it I wouldn’t mind seeing him pop up again somewhere around town.

I think it was sort of inevitable that Tom would return to the Parks department, so the tidiness of his return is somewhat forgivable, but I would have maybe liked to see Tom’s absence from City Hall extended even a little longer. The writers didn’t seem to be having much trouble keeping him involved so it’s not too far of a stretch that they could have given him a more natural story progression than they did. Still, part of me is just happy the band is back together, so I don’t entirely know why I’m complaining. It’s a just a minor note at best.

Last but not least, I want to make sure I mention Andy’s contribution to the episode. With the exception of maybe the last episode, he’s played sidekick for most of this season, and I find it amazing how effective he can be in the little moments he gets. Andy is pretty disproportionally represented in the quotes section this week considering the amount of time he spent on screen.

Speaking of which:

LESLIE: I need a few more volunteers. Andy, will you be Iceland?
ANDY: The bad guys from Mighty Ducks 2? I don’t think so.
LESLIE: Okay, how bout Japan?
ANDY: The bad guys from Karate Kid 2... even worse. How about Germany, they’ve never been the bad guys.

CHRIS: I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I am romantically involved with Jerry Gergich’s surprisingly hot daughter, Millicent Gergich.

CHRIS: See I just don’t believe in this whole don’t-let-people-know-how-you-feel nonsense. I love telling people how I feel, mostly because I love those people. And I love telling them that I love them.
DONNA: You didn’t tell that girl that you loved her, did you?
CHRIS: No, I’m not crazy.

TOM: A fact is not an anecdote Gary!

LESLIE: God, it’s time for you to nut up Switzerland.

BEN: It’s a white flag, and you may as well start waving it right now Leslie!
LESLIE: The only thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!
BEN: Good lord.

LESLIE: And I ask all of you, who is ready to join the coalition of the willing?
APRIL: The moon shall join your coalition.
LESLIE: Yeah! We got the freakin’ moon. What are you going to do without tides Peru?

ANDY: Did we win? I think we won? What were we trying to do? I learned so much today.

ANDY: If you rearrange the letters of Peru you can spell Europe.
BEN: That’s not true.
ANDY: Well, you have to rearrange them.

And line of the night:

ANN: I mean I was jogging... I hate jogging.
CHRIS: Jogging’s amazing.
ANN: Jogging’s the worst Chris! I mean I know it keeps you healthy, but god, at what cost?

The Office – “Pam’s Replacement” (B+)

Maybe one of the better Pam/Jim storylines I’ve seen in a long, long time. Really, ever since the two of them got married and had the first kid the writers have been having trouble figuring out what to do with them. That’s why whenever I see that original spark that made this couple so fun in the first place I take note. Oh and if you didn’t get where I was going with that, this was one of those times.

Of course, I guess you could argue the storyline was as much a Pam/Dwight affair as it was a Pam/Jim affair. For the second week in a row the writers decided to showcase the bizarre friendship Pam and Dwight seem to share. Regardless, it’s just nice to see the original cast playing off each other the way they used to. I really enjoyed the back and forth between all involved, from the game of matchmaker to the makeshift lie detector test.

Unfortunately, other than that there wasn’t much else to this episode. I guess I liked the opening phone call bit, mostly just because of Darryl’s phone commentary as it was all going down, and there was a decent scene in the break room involving a large chunk of the cast that was good for a few decent laughs, but the rest of the episode seemed pretty bare.

It certainly wasn’t a good week for Robert California. His displacement of Andy and the rest of the zits really didn’t generate much from a comedy perspective. I dare say the writers overestimated the effectiveness of watching Andy, Kevin, and Darryl slowly become the groupies of their own band. I did enjoy the little scene where they broke off on their own though. It’s just too bad what came before it was so forgettable.

Line of the night:

DWIGHT: Does your husband have very soft erections? Cause if not I just grabbed a very soft penis for nothing.

Hurricane Eriksen!

Hurray, real reviews!

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “Disaster Averted” (B)

You’re playing a dangerous game How I Met Your Mother...

A good 80% of “Disaster Averted” was sheer nonsense. Unfocused, uninspired, nonsense. But... and this is really where the writers were crafty, they gave us just enough story momentum, just enough of that slap bet magic, that I couldn’t help smiling to myself when it was all over and done with. It’s a cheap trick, but it worked... this time anyway.

Let’s start with what I didn’t like since it’s going to be tough to do it once I get into the ending. First off, Marshall’s Edgar Allen Poe bit got old very fast. I can forgive the first couple of jokes, but the bear attacks were stupid, and its effect on Lily – all that smothering – just seemed really forced. Plus there’s something off about the continuity of them conceiving their kid in that bathroom. Hurricane Irene was in late August, wasn’t it?

What’s worse is that after that initial Edgar Allen Poe monologue, the one where the music got intense and the camera crept in on Marshall’s face, the writers decided to keep using the technique completely out of context. They stripped the gag of its meaning and then just threw it out there hoping for a few cheap laughs... not good.

And there were a few more things along those lines I didn’t like, but they don’t seem worth getting into right now and honestly, I can’t wait to talk about it – slap bet’s back you guys! I’m so happy the writers worked that into the episode. Slap bet is one of my all time favourite How I Met Your Mother memories and with Marshall only having one slap left, it hasn’t made it onto to the show in a while. But this is great news – the writers managed to give us not one, but two slaps in this episode and still had the good sense to leave Marshall a spare for future use. If he’d just used up his last slap it would have been bittersweet, but now he can slap away and still have one left for, dare I say, the series finale... I think that may be how important slap bet is to the series.

Of course I can’t forget Robin and Barney hooking up in the cab. I kind of wish there was a little more build up to that moment – it really did come out of nowhere – but I was happy to see it happen. I may be alone in this but I’ve always been rooting for that couple. Though if I were to make my big call for next week I’d say that Barney’s going to renege on the kiss and he and Robin are going to play the will-they won’t-they game for a little while longer.

Alright, now for my favourite lines:

TED: If we don’t make it through the night I want you guys to know, and I really mean this, I wish I’d branched out and made more friends in my 20s.

TED: Pink is just easier to spot from the rescue chopper.

And line of the night:

BARNEY: I think I need to go home and re-evaluate how I make life decisions.

House – “The Confession” (B-)

“The Confession” was an improvement over last week’s lackluster affair, but I’m still not really feeling House this season. It’s no secret that the show’s been on the decline for a while now, but I was kind of hoping, what with all the talk of this being the last season, that the writers would break the mould a little and give us something we haven’t seen before. Perhaps they just need to get the confirmation that this is it before they go ahead with the big send off, but business as usual just isn’t cutting it anymore.

I was disappointed with the patient story again this week. I’m a big fan of Jamie Bamber going back to his Battlestar days and I didn’t think he was used well in the episode. It seems like it doesn’t really matter what they do with the cases these days, there’s not a whole lot left this show hasn’t already done. Just listen to how apathetically the old team says “everybody lies” and you can tell even the writers know the game is fixed.

Don’t get me wrong though, I was very glad to get Chase and Taub back. They really seemed to breathe some new life into the show. I was a big fan of the old team-new team comparisons sprinkled throughout the episode and just watching the two groups interact gave the show some of the intrigue it had been missing of late.

I also thought Chase’s return gave Foreman a chance to break into his new role. Up until this week we’ve really only gotten to see the administrator side of Foreman, and I don’t think I’m saying anything too profound here, but the man is not likeable when he’s in charge. Chase allowed him to let down his guard and open up a bit more, which probably provided the best storyline of the episode.

In the end though it just wasn’t enough to hold my interest. I think the best thing the writers and producers could do right now is commit to ending the series as soon as possible and use the remaining episodes to give these characters the send off they deserve. House probably still makes a ton of money, but from a creative standpoint I think the time has come to walk away.

No, That’s Not True. That’s Impossible!

Sorry for the long wait between posts gang, it’s been a busy week. Since I have such a backlog of shows to cover I’m going to have to keep my write ups brief, but everything should be back to normal by next week. Enjoy!

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns” (B)

You’ve gotta hand it to the writers for what they’re trying with Ted this season. The parade of old flames from episodes past is certainly a good way to keep people interested in his pre-mother relationships. Unfortunately, the Slutty Pumpkin just wasn’t as effective as Victoria was. At the end of the day she’s just masking the problem – none of these relationships have any future. Still, I really liked the quarter Canadian subplot. Barney’s reaction when he found out, ala Luke Skywalker in Empire, was priceless.

House – “Risky Business” (C+)

Another filler episode. It’s not that I hate the new team (I love Charlyne Yi just for her numerous appearances on Conan) but the show really seems to be struggling in the absence of some of its more familiar faces. Let’s just hope all that money House made from betting on his patient’s company means that Taub and Chase will be back next week.

Modern Family – “Treehouse” (A-)

I thought Leslie Mann’s guest appearance was actually pretty solid. I wouldn’t mind seeing her character again someday.  I maybe could have done without Jay’s fake ecstasy experience or Claire driving Haley out into the middle of nowhere and leaving her, but the good parts of this episode definitely outweighed the bad, especially that awesome ending where Phil made a new friend while building his treehouse.

Community – “Advanced Gay” (B+)

I loved the call back to Troy’s Good Will Hunting like plumbing skills. I loved the room temperature joke (“this is the room temperature room”) much like the rest of John Goodman’s second appearance on the series. Just based on his little conversation with his number 2 at the end of the episode, the battle over Troy’s plumbing soul looks like it’s just gearing up.

As for Pierce’s father’s appearance, that was a little more hit and miss, but I did love the jump cut from Jeff berating him right to the old man’s funeral. I actually quite like the psychological focus that Brita’s new major has brought to the show, especially in the writer’s choices of what she gets right from her classes and what she screws up.

Parks and Recreation – “End of the World” (A)

This was a surprisingly sentimental turn for the series. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them use music over an entire sequence that wasn’t somehow introduced naturally in the background of a scene (although I guess April did turn something on in the car). But I loved the way the writer’s handled Ben and Leslie’s first episode together since their break up, and kudos to Amy Poehler and Adam Scott for really selling the storyline. I felt legitimately bad for both of their characters.

But even the side plots in this episode exhibited the funny yet touching sentiment of the episode. Tom’s last hurrah was pretty special, and contained an unusually poignant performance from Aziz Ansari. And I don’t think I’ve disagreed with a single move the writers have made with Andy and April’s marriage so far. Their loss for words at the end of this episode may just turn out to be one of those signature moments that fans of the series (or least me anyway) will remember for a long, long time.

The Office – “Doomsday” (B)

I wasn’t a huge fan of the premise of this episode –most of the major plot points were a little too ridiculous for my liking – but “Doomsday” was at least funny enough to hold my interest over the entire half hour. I guess that’s saying something.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Put Me In, Coach” (C+)

If you’re going to have an episode based around a baseball game at least research the sport enough that you know some of the basic rules of the game. Last time I checked you can’t hit a home run and have the same player at first before and after the at-bat.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Heart-Shaped Box” (B)

I really enjoyed Lexie’s obsession with her patient’s series of novels, especially after the scene where Avery broke up with her. That whole storyline was really well done. Oh, and you just had to laugh at the scene where Sloan and Avery got back together – that was a pretty funny way to cap off the episode.

Unfortunately, with the way Henry was coughing up blood at the end of the episode and with Scott Foley spending so much time on the series of late, I have a sinking feeling that the writers are planning on killing him off. Unless the producers make Foley a series regular – which won’t happen because he’s not a doctor – I don’t think there’s much hope that they’ll keep him around. There are just too many more good storylines for Teddy with him dead than alive. Hopefully I’m wrong though, because I really do like him.

I Thought I Heard Something Awesome Out There...

Ahhh, just like old times... staying up all night finishing the Thursday night reviews. I’ve still got it!

Spoilers...

Community – “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” (A+)

Wow... considering how good last year’s Halloween episode was I certainly never thought they were going to top it, but “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” was a special kind of brilliant. The way it perfectly blended parody with the personalities of this incredible cast of characters, it’s just Community firing on all cylinders. I mean holy crap there were a lot of great one-liners in this one. Trust me, the quotes section of this episode is going to take a page onto itself.

The thing I think I really loved about “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” was how each little story told us something about the way these characters think. And I know, I said the exact same thing about last week’s (well two weeks ago) “Remedial Chaos Theory” but this episode took that premise and twisted it to even more hilarious proportions. Actually, just remembering back through all the stories I think it was perfect that in the end they all turned out to be insane. Well all except for Abed, but I think that makes it even better.

It’s tough for me to go through each story individually, because honestly I think they all had something to contribute, but I will point out a few of my favourites. I loved the way they handled Britta’s story by having every character talk in the disjointed way she would likely be telling it. I know they did that in at least some fashion with all of them, but hers was particularly notable in that it perfectly captured the half-baked setup Britta needed to get everybody else to tell their stories.

Definitely my favourite was Abed’s. Anyone who reads this blog with any sort of regularity knows that I’m pretty much the logic police when it comes to these sorts of things, and Abed’s little checklist of what would be required before their deaths seemed earned hit just about every right note in my book. Plus how funny was it to watch Troy dancing along to Abed’s unbelievably long radio interlude.

Of course I couldn’t help but smile at Annie’s story either. Pretty much every line of dialogue that came after Brita appeared from that closet is worth re-quoting endlessly. And then there was Shirley’s  sermon which produced one of my favourite lines of the episode from Troy:

TROY: You ruined a Britta party. That’s like letting poop spoil.

But maybe the most impressive scene in the whole episode was when, after Britta spilled the beans that one of them could be a homicidal maniac, the lights flickered and they all instinctively grabbed weapons. That was a moment I did not see coming and again perfectly set up the ending where they all turned out to be insane.  I mean I’m downright swooning here, but that’s just genius writing. You’ve got to love watching a show really hit its stride like this.

Alright, now for my long list of favourite lines, with some bonus commentary attached! You’re welcome:

ANNIE: There’s nothing in your playlists but spooky party, the Beetlejuice soundtrack, and NPR podcasts.
BRITTA: Oh, we can listen to one of those. I have Michelle Morris interviewing Aril Morris. Don’t worry, they address it.

BRITTA: Extreme Jeff!
JEFF: Like a Dorito?
BRITTA: A sociopathic Dorito. A cool ranch lunatic. Only instead of zest Jeff, one member of our study group has homicidal tendencies.

JEFF: You probably just Britta-ed the test results somehow.

TROY: I want to go to the dance. I heard the Dean got free taco meat from the army! (Great call back!)

BRITTA: That makes sense. I’m turned on by how logical you are. (If only...)

BRITTA: I hope you’re as fertile as I am tonight.
ABED: More.

BRITTA: Should we go check it out?
ABED: No, we should call 911 on my fully charged cell phone, lock the doors, and then stand back to back in the middle of the room holding knives.

ANNIE: You should be proud of how much I’ve changed you!

TROY: That wasn’t even a ghost story. It was like an episode of some show we’re all too young to have heard of.

TROY: Troy and Abed sewn together!

And line of the night:

TROY: Yeah Jeff, what the hell. Why are you always so determined to have us relax and put down our weapons?

Parks and Recreation – “Meet N Greet” (A)

I was just saying a few weeks ago that I would love to see some more of the roommate dynamic between Ben, Andy, and April and then this little episode came along. I think it’s fairly safe to say the writers of Parks and Recreation are pretty big fans of Stuck on a Channel. And I welcome their readership, because I’m pretty a big fan of theirs too. Any show that so openly bashes salads the way this one does has instantly earned a place in my heart.

I’m a little sad we’ve seen the end of Entertainment 720 – you can probably file that twist under storylines we all saw coming – but at least it gave us that sweet ending between Leslie and Tom. I quite enjoyed the scene at the waffle house where Tom lamented over his business mistakes and that video montage – Leslie’s response was just fantastic. I could have maybe done with a touch less of the Entertainment 720 extravagance early in the episode, but hey, it’s their last hurrah, might as well let them have it. I just hope we still get to see Jean-Ralphio around.

Wow, and Ron in this episode. Here’s maybe the best testament to how good a character he is – a line as benign as “yeah, this is my Halloween costume” can get one of the biggest laughs of the night. Nick Offerman has amazing delivery. If he doesn’t get an Emmy nomination one of these days the system is broken.

I also really loved the writers’ decision to pair Ron and Ann together this week. Whenever you put Ron in a teaching position – think Ron Swanson’s Pyramid of Greatness – it always brings out the best in him. Combine that with Ann’s hilarious enthusiasm and you’ve got a pretty lethal combination, certainly the best storyline of the night. It takes me back to a few weeks ago when Ann was trying to get just a minute of small talk out of him. Turns out all she had to do was hand him a toolbox.

And of course I can’t forget to mention Ben and his lovable roommates. My only real problem with this storyline was that I didn’t buy that Ben could be that anti-confrontational. It just doesn’t seem to mesh with what we’ve seen from his character before this. But other than that I quite enjoyed what this storyline gave us. I LOVE that they brought Orin back. He was one of my favourite parts of the fantastic “Fancy Party” from last season. And I mean you’ve got to appreciate Andy’s “maturity” in handling the situation with Ben. The Dwyer method of solving conflict certainly tied everything up nicely in the end.

Okay, now for the quotes. Yeah, there’s a lot for this episode too... just in case you were wondering why it got an A:

JERRY: Look at you, you’re just beautiful!
CHRIS: You’re beautiful! On the inside, where your spirit lives.

ANDY: Weren’t you a pirate last year?
RON: Yes, this is my Halloween costume.

LESLIE: I have personally patronized each and every one of your establishments.
TANYA: Ummm, I’ve never seen you buy a salad from Sue’s Salads.
LESLIE: That’s because I don’t hate myself Tanya. I’m sorry, I know I should be chasing your vote but I stand behind my decision to avoid salad and other disgusting things. And I think I have a lot of support in the community for that.

ANDY: Where’s your costume?
APRIL: Honey, he’s wearing a costume. He’s going as lame.
ANDY: That’s a pretty good costume actually.

ANDY: See you’re angry at me and you’re not talking about it and I’m going to beat you up until you do because I’m mature.

ANDY: I grew up with 5 brothers and we fought using the Dwyer method, which was yelling, wrestling, crying, followed by lots of hugs... and then more wrestling but the fun kind... and then crying when the fun kind of wrestling got out of hand.

RON: Nice form son, make sure you keep a firm pressure on the cranium.

ANN: We’re gonna go dark people, bear with us okay. We’ve gotta switch off the main fuse hose.
RON: It’s just a fuse.
ANN: It’s just a fuse people, just a fuse.

TOM: Well hindsight is 20/20.
LESLIE: Kind of seems like regular sight should have caught that one.

BEN: Alright, maybe you have to start thinking about how your actions affect me. Like tell me about stuff happening in the house. Stop referring to my bedroom as a common space. Stop using my comforter for your pillow forts.

APRIL: We should go, I’m blocking an ambulance.

LESLIE: (through tears) I loved it. I’m going to watch it every day for the rest of my life and when I die I’m going to project it on my tombstone.

And line of the night:

LOWE’S EMPLOYEE: Hi there, is there a project you’re working on.
RON: I know more than you.
LOWE’S EMPLOYEE: Alright.

The Office – “Spooked” (A-)

Aww, poor Erin. She’s such a nice well intentioned girl. How can you not want to root for her? I was kind of wondering when the writers were going to bring back her relationship with Andy. Especially with Andy getting all this new screen time it only seems like the next logical step. They probably won’t get together for a while, but at least in the meantime you add a little sexual tension into the mix. Although I don’t know if Erin’s knows how to pick up on sexual tension, so... maybe just the regular kind of tension.

I kind of want to meet this girl Andy’s been dating. That really came out of nowhere, didn’t it? It would be a heck of a guest spot to land. I hope they get someone good to fill that role. It’s like that role that Roy guy played on that other show. What was it called? Oh wait no, that was still The Office. Seems like a long time ago though doesn’t it.

Anyway, Ellie Kemper really had a great episode. She’s what makes Erin so lovable. She’s just so positive sounding about everything. Even when she’s talking about working with her ex she makes it sound lovable. Oh, and fun fact – this episode was written by Kemper’s sister, Carrie Kemper. See, wasn’t that fun!  ***Pats self on back***.

Erin wasn’t the only one having a standout week though; this was really Robert California’s coming out party as well. I mean he’s had a few good bits in previous episodes, but he really left his mark on this one. I think my favourite scene in the entire episode was when Andy, Erin, and him had the dreaded talk in Andy’s office. He was the highlight of the whole thing and all he did was sit ominously in background.

ANDY: I’m sorry this must be really uncomfortable for you.
ROBERT: I’m never uncomfortable.
ANDY: Mmmkay.

I also quite liked the culmination of the little running bit they had where he collected everybody’s worst fears. The collective silence of the entire office after he finished his horror story was pretty great. I especially loved how he had to explain to Kevin that he was talking about mummies before it registered with him that he should be terrified.

I think the trick to his character is to use him sparingly. The writers did an excellent job keeping him in background of the episode and just having him pop in here and there to give a scene an extra little kick. If this is the Robert California we’re going to get for the rest of the season than you can consider me a fan.

To the quotes!

ERIN: When they talk about all the nice things about dating a co-worker they don’t mention one of the best parts – after you’re done dating you still get to work together! Every single day...

JIM: (wearing a Chris Bosh Miami Heat jersey) I know, I know, I know, but Darryl and Kevin needed a third. They bought this jersey, I said no, Kevin started crying, so... I am Chris Bosh.

PHYLLIS: Bob and I are doing this Scranton haunted walking tour.
OSCAR: I always wondered what kind of people went on that thing.

ROBERT: Bert this is a... paper company.

ROBERT: Extraordinary. Did you plan this?
KELLY: Well Toby and I did, yeah.
GABE: And I overheard and thought hey, that’d be fun, don’t mind if I do.

ERIN: Remember that Halloween party you took me to once, the one where I started crying as soon as I walked in and... I didn’t stop crying.
GABE: Yes.

KEVIN: Why on Earth would a museum put a mummy in it!

PHYLLIS: Is she Asian?
ERIN: I don’t know. She’s from somewhere I bet. Maybe from the forest.
PHYLLIS: The forest? Did Andy say his girlfriend’s from the forest?
ERIN: I don’t know Phyllis, maybe she’s from the city.

And line of the night:

ERIN: Pam how would you rate me as a receptionist on a scale of 1 to 3?
PAM: Um, 2...
ERIN: That’s like the second to last thing I wanted to hear.

We’re Going Ice Skating Everybody!

Hurray! I finally got a Grey’s review out before the new episode aired. I’m catching up...

Spoilers!

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

How I Met Your Mother seasons tend work in phases, at least the recent ones do anyway. Generally, the start of the season is pretty good. We get the funny but we also get some movement in the bigger story arcs – Ted’s search for the mother, major character hook-ups, that sort of thing. Then the show starts to move into more one-off episodes varied around a theme that tends to get resolved by the end of the half hour. They have the potential to be good, but a lot of them end up being pretty forgettable. Later in the season and sometimes at its midpoint the writers will move back into those more interesting storylines, but unfortunately until then we get stuck in that intermediate phase, and that’s exactly where we are right now.

Tonight’s episode was not How I Met Your Mother at its finest. There were as always, certainly a few good moments, but altogether I found this to be a rather one-note episode. I think the storyline with the most holes in it was Robin, Ted and Kevin’s. I feel like I say this every week – I love Kal Penn but his style of acting just doesn’t seem to fit in with the sitcom format of this show. I’ve also started to notice that the writers have been using his character as a way to bring up or accentuate whatever psychological topic they want to talk about that week. This may work to give the episode a common theme, but it doesn’t make his character’s storylines any better.

I will say though, Ted and Robin’s attitude towards each other in this week’s episode, their lack of self-awareness if you will, does serve to highlight what I think is slowly becoming one of the major arcs of this season – the inappropriateness of this group’s dynamic. I mentioned it last week too, but the writers are definitely building towards something and I think it’s going to have a big impact later on in the season.

Thankfully, the other storylines in this episode faired a little better than the latter. Marshall’s decision to not stop until Lily felt sexy was maybe one of the most sitcomy starts to a storyline I’ve ever seen this show do, but the writers did get some pretty good banter out of it. Generally whenever Marshall invents a game there’s going to be something redeemable about that storyline... though I could have done without seeing Marshall’s Dad in Lily’s evening wear.

Barney too had a decent week. Neil Patrick Harris still knows how to sell a line, and I think I laughed at almost every utterance of the words “I can turn this around.” My one disappointment was that I felt like Wayne Brady’s cameo was a little bit wasted. I always enjoy his appearances on the show so I would have preferred it if the writers had held off until they had an episode where he and Barney could have been featured a little more prominently together.

Anyway, now for the quotes:

LILY: Wait you’re finally going to Bootytown?
BARNEY: Look, we just don’t want to rush anything, okay, so we decided to wait until she decides to let me have sex with her.

WEIRD AL: Vinny, start recording!

And line of the night:

MARSHALL: I was trying to think of how to best express how sexy you are to me... a song, a poem, and then it hit me: a board game!
LILY: You just get woman.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Poker Face” (B+)

Granted, this episode didn’t exactly have a ton of substance – dramatically it was a little tame – but there was something quite endearing about “Poker Face.” Tonally it sort of brought out Grey’s fun side, and for a show that very often flirts with over the top theatrics, an episode like this is good. It keeps everything in perspective.

I thought the standout this week was Meredith – she was a catalyst for a lot of funny storylines. I very much enjoyed watching her don the pink scrubs and start delivering babies. The way Christina defended her to Alex for going into gynaecology and then immediately told her stop embarrassing her was hilarious. I also liked her little encounters with Lexie, if only because Lexie had this sort of deer-in-headlights reaction to the whole thing. By the way, it was nice to see Lexie back in the mix again. Is it just me or has she had somewhat of a diminished role this season?

April had a pretty good week this week as well. For my money she’s the most entertaining character on this show right now. I thought Karev was a little harsh in that early scene where he just unloaded on her, but her reaction to it ended up being quite funny so I guess something positive came out of it. Credit Sarah Drew for really that selling that storyline. I love the way she sort of caught herself going into that high pitched voice each time someone defied and then promptly lowered it to great effect. I like watching her get these little wins.

I was a little irked though that they didn’t follow up on that guy she left with in the last episode. Maybe the writers are planning something a little bit bigger (or maybe I’ve just exaggerated the importance of this storyline in my head) but I still think that’s an important moment for her character and they just sort of brushed over it. Seeing as she ended this episode saying she’s going to drink beer and hit on boys I’m assuming nothing happened, but damn it I want to know what’s going on with her. I write a TV blog – these virginity storylines are the only ones I can relate to.

Alright, last thing. I kind of like that Arizona and Mark are friends now. I know that the writers pretty much just inserted that for the sake of Callie’s arc this week, but I wouldn’t mind a few more storylines in that direction. There’s a lot of potential there.

This Is In No Way Emotional Extortion

Sorry gang, I’m way behind this week.

Spoilers...

How I Met Your Mother – “Mystery vs. History” (B)

I read an article a while back about what children born today will never know. One of the items was the bar room argument. Like the episode points out, with the emergence of smart phones almost any argument can be settled in a matter of seconds. A show like Cheers couldn’t exist set in the present day. Cliff Clavin would be shot down almost the instant he started talking.

That’s why, despite the general goofiness of the episode, I liked “Mystery vs. History.” It’s hardly a classic, but it did what it did well. I liked watching Barney and Robin slowly turn into a crack research team, or Ted obsess over whether or not a girl likes Annie Hall. It’s silly and it could just as easily have bombed, but it worked for me.

“Mystery vs. History” was also notable because for the first time it put a microscope over some of the more unhealthy elements of this group’s dynamic, something I think we’ll see a lot more of this season. They did it in a rather loose and light-hearted manner, but if you remember back to “Ducky Tie” I think the theme the writers have set up for the season is that certain aspects of this group were going to change, and maybe this episode was the first step in that direction.

And if that’s the case I like the way the writers handled it. The idea that the old gang needs to grow up is a little depressing at first, but at least the reasons why are funny. Kevin’s outsider perspective was used well here to point out all the weird habits this group has formed over the years. I’ll just ignore the fact that he’s a psychiatrist dating his patient.

I especially liked the montage of all the ways the group has physically abused each other over the years, appropriately set to the series’ long-running favourite “Murder Train”. By the way, when are we going to get another slap bet episode? Are we saving that last slap for the series finale?

Also great was the short scene where Robin’s dad sent her off into the woods for her birthday. It was pretty stupid, but again I laughed. Is it just me or is Cobie Smulders getting a lot more screen time this season? She’s stolen at least a few episodes this year.

Line of the night:

BARNEY: Oh my god, they’re six minutes into the date! Ted’s probably already told her he loves her.

House – “Charity Case” (B-)

Completely adequate. Delightfully average. There’s just not much the House writer’s can do these days that’ll surprise me. Not with the same old, same old anyway. There was actually a moment during this episode, where House was having one of his revelations, where I actually checked the time on the DVR recording just to see if he’d actually figured it out yet or if it was just another red herring. So yeah, I’m a little jaded.

Again, it’s not that I hated the episode, it was just par for the course. Wentworth Miller was a pretty decent get as a guest star. Poor guy, I wonder what he’s been up to since Prison Break ended. But as for his story it was another classic (that’s the nice way of putting it) House diagnosis – treating altruism as symptoms of a disease. It may have been intriguing five years ago, but you’re going to have to do more than that to get me to sit up these days.

It was nice to see Thirteen again, if only for an episode. Her goodbye with House at the end was a sweet moment, especially since this is likely the end for her character. The two of them have always seemed to share an unspoken bond, so I liked what House did for her by firing her. Part of me hope she comes back, at least for the series finale, but if this was the last we’ll ever see of Thirteen at least she got a somewhat happy ending.

Grey’s Anatomy – “Love, Loss, and Legacy” (C+)

Yup, that was a penis transplant. I’m surprised it took them this long.

I’m getting sick of these famous visiting surgeon storylines Grey’s keeps throwing out. I swear we get at least one or two a year, and they’re always the same. The staff spends the first act gushing over whoever this new surgeon is, thus giving them their back story. Then they fight over who’s going to scrub into that surgeon’s fancy surgery. Then there’s the inevitable tension in the OR. The only way it could get worse is if say, one of the famous surgeons were related to somebody on the staff. Oh right...

Needless to say I was not a fan of Avery’s mom Catherine. She was pretty much the stereotype of an overbearing mother and to be honest I didn’t find her bluntness as charming as I think was intended. The fact that for some reason Sloane felt he had to impress her just made things worse.

The only storyline I cared less about than Avery’s mom visiting was Bailey hemming and hawing over her relationship with that nurse. I don’t think it’s a secret that I haven’t been a fan of those two from the start, and suffice to say I cared as much about their ending as I did the rest of their relationship. I’m guessing the whole point of this is so that Bailey can get back together with Jason George’s character now that he’s back from his brief stint on Off the Map.

The one snippet of this episode that did peak my interest was Kepner running off with that guy in the closing moments. That’s a pretty big deal for her character and I’m wondering whether that was meant to be just an ending tag or the start of a major turning point for her character. Maybe the mystery of what happened will be one of the focuses of the next episode. I don’t know, but if she did sleep with him I don’t want the writers to just breeze over it like it was nothing. They should give it its due.

Modern Family – “Go Bullfrogs!” (B+)

I don’t know what to tell you. Whoever came up with the idea to have Phil go back to college is a genius. The second he jumped into that cheerleading routine while on the phone, they had me hooked. How do you get any better than that, seriously? They should have saved that for the end because nothing was going to top it.

The rest of the episode, while not nearly up to the standard of that Phil storyline, still managed to amuse. I was a big fan of Jay and Gloria this week. Jay’s obsession with her Spanish soap opera was one of those classic gags that seem to work no matter what era they’re done in.

I was also a fan Claire’s story this week. It was a little up and down – I kind of wish they’d kept Cam and Mitchell with her for more of it – but it’s always fun to see Claire unleash her wild side. Her closing speech to the moms at Luke’s sleepover was a great way to cap off the storyline. Julie Bowen really nailed it there.

The reason I’d wished Cam and Mitchell had stuck with Claire, is a) the three of them were really funny together and b) their storyline kind of got a little scattered once they’d left the party with Claire. The stolen car thing didn’t really go anywhere and I found it a little odd that they didn’t try to warn Claire once they found out that her companion wasn’t gay. In the end I don’t think I was ever really satisfied with where the writers decided to take the storyline.

To the quotes:

GLORIA: What do you mean she blossomed? Like the puberty?

CLAIRE: Are you really comfortable with what you just said?

PHIL: Was I wrong? Are these not the best wings you’ve ever had in your life?
HALEY: Oh my god.
PHIL: And you didn’t want to get 40!

And line of the night:

CLAIRE: It’s not my fault this one decided to be straight.
TRAINER: I’ve always been straight!

This Will Be No Fun At All

Wow, I really should have used this time to study for mid-terms...

Spoilers:

Community – “Remedial Chaos Theory” (A-)

“Remedial Chaos Theory” gets high marks just for the attempt. I can’t think of another show on television (other than maybe a cartoon) that would be able to take on such a high concept episode as this one and get away with it. But to do just that, and still manage to give us a complete narrative arc is something special. Too many episodes built around these high concepts get lost in their premise and end up forgetting the storytelling. “Remedial Chaos Theory” not only avoids that trap but uses its multiple timelines to enlighten the audience in a way that wouldn’t have been possible just business as usual.

Now I’ll be honest with you here, when I first turned off the episode I was a little underwhelmed. From a plot standpoint the stakes just weren’t there. Whatever vignette you were in, you knew the episode was just a quick dice roll away from moving on to something else with really no lasting consequences, and that made it hard for me to get invested. But then I took the night and I thought it over for a little while, and I realized just how genius that actually was.

There were almost no lasting consequences! But the characters were still the same. They were motivated by the same things they were motivated by in any other episode. In fact, by watching them react to the same basic scenario over and over again with only slightly varying circumstances we got to see a lot more clearly what exactly makes them tick. Troy’s desire to be seen as an adult, Pierce’s need to be liked, Shirley’s alienation over being the only one not getting the “googly eyes”, all of it was quite cleverly worked into multiple timelines forming an arc that spanned the entire episode.

And what’s more, the writers managed to find a way to hook up some of our favourite potential couples without actually having any sort of lasting repercussions. I swear, one of these days they’re going to have to try one of these relationships out for real. I don’t know if I can handle watching Annie and Jeff kiss one more time without one of them doing something about it.

The ending was just an amalgamation of everything the show does well. Absurd over the top humour, high concept premises, and some serious heart to back it all up. We went from a classic Winger move (setting up a system in which he’s assured to not have to go get the pizza) to the whole study group sharing a sweet bonding moment with each other to the alternate timeline where everything has gone terribly wrong (Brita has a blue streak in her hair!). I mean, show me a better way to end an episode of Community than that.

JEFF: Oh look, Indiana Jones and the apartment of perpetual virginity.
TROY: Chop busted fellow adult, chop busted.

PIERCE: Doesn’t bother me, I’ve hardly missed you at all since I’ve had you removed from my portraits.

ABED: Tonight we offer something far more than boobs and billiards.
JEFF: What?
TROY: One word, two syllables.
JEFF: Don’t say charades.
TROY: Yahtzee.
JEFF: Is charades off the table?

ANNIE: I love your place Troy. You’re all grown up now.
JEFF: I can’t believe those are real mahogany bunk beds in there. I bet that cost you a few allowances.

TROY: Give it Pierce, it feels fun! You’re bad at gift giving. I demand to be house warmed.

PIERCE: Encarta it!

And line of the night:

BRITA: Troy lost his larynx because for some dumb reason he tried to destroy a flaming troll doll by eating it.
TROY: Clearly you don’t understand anything about defeating trolls.

Parks and Recreation – “Pawnee Rangers” (B+)

If you can remember all the way back to Season 2 of Parks, you may recall an episode named “Sweetums.” In it, Libertarian Ron got a little carried away in his glee over Sweetums taking over of the Pawnee’s park refreshment stands and ended up alienating Leslie in the process. His apology to her at the end of the episode was really the first time we got a look at the remarkable (and funny) mutual respect these two very different people share for each other.

I bring it up because “Pawnee Rangers” is really that “Sweetums” episode in reverse. This time Leslie was the one who got too carried away and Ron was the one who suffered, and yet the result is just as effective. Leslie’s retribution at the end of the episode was just another sweet moment in the ongoing saga between the two. I dare say you’d be hard pressed to find another relationship on television as unique as Leslie and Ron.

It’s actually a wonder that it took Parks and Rec until its fourth season to do an episode centered on a boy scout-esque organization. It really does feel like the type of thing this show is made for, and that’s a complement to this episode because the writers used the premise quite well. The contrast between Leslie’s Goddesses and Ron’s Pawnee Rangers was pretty funny, and all the supporting players did a great job – Andy and the Rangers reciting the Goddesses pledge, Ann’s rivalry with one of the girls in the troupe – they provided a great background atmosphere for the episode.

I also really liked Ben’s story again this week. I could have probably done without seeing him break into tears but for the most part watching him try to relax was one of the funnier parts of the episode and I’m glad the writers decided to show some of his reaction to his breakup with Leslie. It feels like the writers are making a concerted effort to make Ben more independently funny, which is fine with me – I’ve been enjoying his nerdish rants over the last couple of weeks. Oh and for the record, that acupuncture scene was the best part of the episode.

The other great development in “Pawnee Rangers” is the introduction of Jerry’s daughter as Chris’s new love interest. It wasn’t exactly laugh out loud funny in this episode, but there’s a lot of potential in that storyline if the writers choose to pursue it further. Poor Jerry... let’s hope they do.

To the quotes:

DONNA: What is wrong with you today? Did they cancel Game of Thrones?
BEN: Nothing is wrong, just do your job... and they would never cancel Game of Thrones. It’s a crossover hit. It’s not just for fantasy enthusiasts, they’re telling human stories in a fantasy world... fill out the forms please.

RON: We have one activity planned, not getting killed.

RON: Get back to your canvas box. We’ll discuss this no further.

CHRIS: I retroactively accept your original offer.

ANN: Who wants homemade peanut brittle?
GIRL: Miss Perkins please we’re in the middle of a debate.

LESLIE: Come on Goddesses, we just struck a huge blow for equality by proving that we were better than them.

And line of the night:

TOM: Ben listen I’m going to talk to you about things you like to take your mind off the needles okay? Accounting, trigonometry, stamps probably.

The Office – “Garden Party” (B)

If it wasn’t clear last week, than it should be now: Ed Helms is the new lead on The Office. Robert California did make it into this one, but James Spader is still pretty much a bit player, an enigma who just sort of shows up to throw a cog into whatever Andy’s up to that week. It’s not that this bothers me per se, Andy’s had a wonderful season so far, it’s just feels really weird considering the hoopla surrounding Spader’s hire.

With that said, “Garden Party” was probably the weakest episode for Andy this year. I’ve always felt that Andy’s country club background is the most unlikable part about his character, or at least the way he keeps bringing it up all the time. I get the joke, but it misses pretty regularly for me. So naturally an episode based solely around that didn’t really jive with me as well as it could have.

 I think “Garden Party” was supposed to be a way to move Andy’s character out of that niche though, and to me that’s a good thing. I doubt the Cornell references will ever fade out completely and I don’t mean to say I hate them all, but I think this is a good first step to a more modest version of Andy. In fact, considering how sweet his character has become over the past few seasons the Connecticut jokes don’t really fit him anymore anyway.

Of course I do have to make one distinction here. Endless toasts and awkward harmonies aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but Dwight in a top hat announcing every guest’s arrival, you can poor me a cup of that (metaphors!). It really was another great week for the Jim/Dwight duo. They may not be the same characters of old, but they can still pull off a prank and for whatever reason that’s very comforting to me.