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.

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I hope that was insightful for you too.

And How Fiscal Will The Quarterly Earnings Be?

Sorry to all the Alcatraz fans out there. My DVR crapped out on recording this week’s episode. I give it a B though just from its description on the guide.

Spoilers:

Shameless – “Hurricane Monica” (B+)

It’s hard to believe there are only 3 more episodes left in this season. Monica’s return is definitely going to add a lot of drama to the rest of these episodes though. First because I thought her appearance last season marked a real turning point for the series and it only took the writers two scenes in this episode to mention she’s bipolar and off her meds. And second, because I accidently read a brief synopsis of the next couple of episodes.

I’m also a big fan of what they did with Lip and Fiona this week. Parking Lip at Steve’s house was a pretty great move. Not only do I like the dynamic between Lip and Steve, but it gave Steve and Fiona a reason to talk and introduced us to Steve’s big new scheme (which I’m hoping the writers don’t just forget about).

I’m also pretty interested in seeing how this thing with Sheila and Jody pans out. I rarely have any idea how Karen is going to react to anything so it could be big or it could end up turning into nothing, but I don’t think the writers are going to be able to simply brush it off. I will say though, Joan Cusack had a heck of an episode this week. Sheila and Jody have weirdly interesting chemistry with each other, don’t they?

Cougar Town – “A One Story Town” (A-)

And I thought last week was a great week for Scrubs fans. First off, how awesome is Sarah Chalke? She is willing to do just about anything for the sake of the joke. I mean how many actresses would agree to do that burnt thighs bit for almost half an episode! I hope Bobby and her character grow old together. I’m also quite happy that Ted seems to have become a recurring guest on this series. I loved the way they used him in this episode, even more so than his first appearance. He and Jules have a really funny vibe with each other.

New Girl – “Control” (B)

Well, they can’t all be winners. A week after probably my favourite episode of New Girl yet the show just sort of transitioned back into the same old, same old. Another one of those Jess ignores the guys’ advice and finds out that they were right all along type deals. Not that I feel as though show is getting stale or anything. It’s early enough that everything still feels fairly fresh. It’s just the jokes weren’t really landing as frequently as they normally do and the familiar premise didn’t help anything. With that said, even an average episode of New Girl is better than most and “Control” still had its moments.

Modern Family – “Send Out the Clowns” (B+)

I’ll admit, I probably shouldn’t have liked this episode as much as I did. The structure of the episode felt a little sporadic and I didn’t think Manny, Jay, and Gloria’s storyline got as fleshed out as it needed to be in order to reach its full potential. I also thought the big twist in Phil’s plotline wasn’t really much of a twist at all. In fact I sort of assumed that Luke was in the middle of some sort of scheme to get that other realtor to give Phil his listing back, which made it all the more surprising when she fell for it. Still, the clown stuff, while a little obvious, was quite funny, and there were a number of recurring bits that ended up working really well in this episode, my favourite being Phil’s frequent calls to “gather round” and all of his ensuing speeches.

Happy Endings – “Party of Six” (B+)

Solid episode. I loved the concept of Brad’s break up restaurant as well as the fact that he and Jane apparently have sex in the bathroom of pretty much every restaurant they go to. I also have to give it up to Max’s creepy “curse” voice and unbelievably stupid plan to get a table (quickly rectified by eating just a tiny morsel of food).

Community – “Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts” (A-)

You have no idea how happy I am to be reviewing this show again. What a great comeback episode too! The entire cast was at the top of their game. I thought Gillian Jacobs in particular had a standout episode. Her “this is who I am” line had me in hysterics. I was also quite impressed with the direction given to Pierce and Shirley in this episode. I was a little disappointed their sandwich shop didn’t work out – far less disappointed if Subway starts paying the bills to keep this show on the air – but I hope at least in Pierce’s case they keep trying to find him a new business venture.

Oh also, Abed and Troy being weird simply by trying to act normal – priceless!

30 Rock – “St. Patrick’s Day” (B)

Nothing too glaringly wrong with this episode, it just wasn’t as outwardly funny as I would have liked. I think my favourite storyline was Kristen Schaal’s character dealing with the intricacies of Tracey and Jenna. It was interesting to see the writers use the fact that Jenna’s celebrity has now risen above that of Tracey’s. I could see that leading to a few more good stories down the line. Also, Jack plays what can only be described as a giant Settlers of Cataan rip off exactly how I play Settlers of Cataan, which is awesome. It makes me happy that I’m finally using my business degree the right way.

The Office – “Get the Girl” (B-)

Okay, so I’m happy that Erin and Andy finally got together, but it did feel a little anticlimactic. The fact that it occurred in some random episode in the middle of the season didn’t help things, but I don’t the writers really tapped into the characters the way they needed to to convey the proper magnitude of the event. Add to that the stupidity of the other storyline where Robert California just watches Nellie steal Andy’s job and you have an episode that, given its subject matter, should have been better.

Up All Night – “Baby Fever” (B)

It’s not exactly a great idea to condense an entire episode down to its last few minutes, but the ending tag was so funny I have to give it the biggest shout out of the night. Perhaps the reason the rest of this episode felt so average was because the writers couldn’t find a way to get that kind of face time between Chris and Reagan. I’m still not sure how I feel about the big shake up at Ava’s show. I kind of liked it when Reagan and Ava were the ones calling all of the shots and I’m not a big fan of watching Reagan fawn over her new boss. It seems like a lot of the show’s energy over the last few episodes has went into integrating these new characters into the mix and so far there hasn’t been a lot of pay off for it.

Grey’s Anatomy – “One Step Too Far” (B-)

I think there are going to be some rough times ahead for Grey’s and me, at least in the foreseeable future. I’m getting really sick of watching all of this drama between Christina and Owen and instead of backing away from it the writing staff seems to be doubling down. Even with the Summer Glau guest appearance I can’t stop my brain from shutting down whenever the two of them start fighting again. I do however see some promise in Karev and this new intern and Lexie’s screw up was pretty interesting to watch so... B- it is, for now.

I’m Partial To Things Like Karate And Brief Nudity

Hurray for TV! (Officially out of things to start posts with).

Spoilers:

Shameless – “Parenthood” (B+)

Lip is going through some shit.

What a great ending. I know the writers are manipulating us a bit, but damn it if it wasn’t heartbreaking to watch Carl chase after Lip as he stormed out of the house. They really know how to use the younger Gallaghers to tug at your heart strings. Obviously Shameless is great when it’s going for laughs, but it’s that much better when it throws a little pathos into that mix. Now I just hope the next episode picks up where this one left off. The show tends to shift back into the familiar at the start of every episode, and from a tonal standpoint that bugs me a bit sometimes.

I honestly can’t figure out what Frank’s deal with his mother is. He wants her dead, he celebrates when she dies, but then he runs to his ex-wife to console him in his grief. I guess it’s a complicated relationship. Karen’s sort of the same with the baby. At one point she was slapping Lip for telling her to get an abortion and now all she cares about is what she can get for the poor kid. I guess her marriage sort of ended in between those two things, but it feels more like a convenient turn for the sake of Lip’s storyline then it does an actual development in her character. I’ll reserve my judgement though until I see how she reacts to Lip telling her he wants to keep it.  

Oh and what do you think the over/under is we ever see Carl play football again?

Alcatraz – “The Ames Brothers” and “Sonny Burnett” (B)

I’m not entirely thrilled that these episodes are apparently so interchangeable they can air them out of order without any sort of repercussions continuity-wise, but I didn’t mind what they gave us this week. “The Ames Brothers” was a good bottle episode, and I’m hoping the Warden’s discovery of the gold plays some sort of factor later on in the series. I could see his character popping up in the modern day as one of the masterminds behind what happened in 63. He has that sort of vibe that he knows more than he’s letting on.

Sonny Burnett introduced the concept of healing blood, an interesting little addition to the mythology, but I found the core of the fairly predictable. I don’t think the inmate story was as good this time around. I’m hoping all this build up between Tommy and Rebecca ends up going somewhere soon, but considering next week’s episode (tonight’s actually) was supposed to air before these two, I’m not holding my breath.

New Girl – “Injured” (A)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the first time this show has gone serious. And wow, hats off to the writing staff and the cast for how it was executed. “Injured” was funny, poignant, heartfelt – I found myself really connecting with Nick and his drunken confessions. I think the writing staff waited the perfect amount of time to tackle this type of subject matter too. You do something like this too soon and the audience just doesn’t care enough about the characters. But even Cece made an impression in this episode, and she’s probably the least developed of the 5 main characters. Obviously, the show can’t do an episode like this one every week, but it’s certainly nice to see it’s in their repertoire. While “Injured” may not have been the funniest episode this series has ever done, it was probably my favourite so far.

Cougar Town – “Full Moon Fever” (B+)

There was a lot to like about this episode. You had Andy doing a hilarious Braveheart impression, Laurie starting a very funny (and sweet) relationship over Twitter, and Sarah Chalke making a guest appearance! A guest appearance that actually looks like it’s going to last more than just an episode. Every time I see a Scrubs cameo on this show my heart grows three sizes.

Happy Endings – “The Kerkovich Way” (B+)

Speaking of Scrubs alumni, I have to once again express my absolute adoration for Eliza Coupe. She was the one that earned this episode’s B it’s +. I loved the flashback to Jane and Alex’s great grandmother, saving her village from the Nazis by convincing them they’d already been occupied. But while the main story in this one was strong, the B story felt a little flat to me. I’m not a huge fan of watching Max pine over Grant. With all the fanfare around him finally getting a boyfriend, I thought it was going to last a little longer than it did, and now that it’s all over I’m not sure the relationship earned the kind of fanfare it got in this episode.

30 Rock – “Standards and Practices” (A-)

It’s unbelievable to me how good Chloe Moretz is as Jack’s nemesis. I’d even put Kaylie Hooper up there with Banks, which considering her age and my love of Will Arnett is just downright impressive. How awesome would it be if those two teamed up?

I’m also quite enjoying Kenneth’s new role this season. Taking him out of the Page program was great for his character, and since then I’ve liked almost all of the decisions the writers have made with him, particularly placing him in standards and practices. The combination of his history and unbelievable naivety seems to fit that department perfectly.

Parks and Recreation – “Lucky” (A-)

Sadly, this is the last episode of Parks and Rec we’re going to get until mid-April. But I guess at least the show went out with some pretty good laughs. Not only am I glad that the writers followed up on Andy’s Women’s Studies class, but I also like that they kept Ron involved in proceedings. That Tiger Wood’s outfit still haunts me. At the end of the day though this was really Andy’s time to shine and Chris Pratt absolutely hit it out of the park (Moneyball, anyone?).

The campaign had a pretty good week as well. I liked that Leslie’s strong relationship with the airport staff ended up getting her out of the jam. It reminded me a bit of her cute relationship with the police department. As for Tom and Ann, I’m still not totally sold on the two of them as a couple, but I’m happy that the writing staff is at least having a bit of fun with the mismatch. Their frequent break ups do seem oddly appropriate. Still, it does beg the question why they keep getting back together at all. They have a long way to go to justify those two staying together for any extended period of time.

The Office – “Last Day in Florida” (C+)

While I was happy to see Andy finally set off to win Erin back, the rest of “Last Day in Florida” was so weak by the time they got to that moment I was pretty much over it. Dwight and Jim’s shoving match seemed to drag on and on with pretty much zero comedic payoff and the B story in the Scranton office was as forgettable as most of the storylines that have come out of there since half of the office left for Florida. I’m looking forward to seeing Andy chase down Erin next week, but the little teaser at the end of this one just wasn’t enough to save the episode.

Up All Night – “Couple Friends” (B)

The whole couple friends idea is a bit of a worn out sitcom cliché. Usually writers pull it out when they have a married couple that’s proving difficult to write for and they need to give them the kind of material their single counterparts are having so much success with, hence why finding a couple to be friends with is always comparable to starting a relationship. I guess it’s somewhat inevitable that a show centered around a married couple would end up traversing down that path, but one would have thought it would have taken them longer to do it considering the show is still in its first season. Either way, Christina Applegate and Will Arnett did an admirable job of spicing up the storyline, once again proving they can elevate an episode just on the strength of their chemistry alone.

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).