This Week in Television - Oct. 23-28, 2011

Once Upon a Time
Hmm, I'll need more time to figure out whether I like this show, but after the pilot I'm leaning toward the positive. It does have too much of a glossy look, as TV shows with high budget special effects sometimes do, and I felt that some of the moments fell flat. For example, when the evil queen barged in on Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, I didn't get the proper sense of intimidation from her because that was a scene that would have normally happened at the end of another story, where they would have already established how scary she is. But to amend that thought, the character worked a little better later in the episode when we had more time to watch her being evil. One moment I really liked was the way Emma rested her chin on the counter while watching the birthday candle on her little cupcake, because I did get the sense of loneliness from that, and it had a childlike quality that made her seem even more vulnerable. One thing that bothered me: if Emma is having difficulty believing that she is inside Henry's fairy tale book, why wouldn't he just open it up and show her? Ultimately she ended up staying in town anyway, but I think it was for his sake, not because she believed him.

Wilfred
CityTV was doing a special preview of FX shows this week, so I checked out Wilfred, about a depressed suicidal man who inexplicably sees his neighbour's dog as an Australian man in a dog suit. I found it interesting the way Wilfred (the dog) was portrayed, because he embodies both human and dog qualities. He talks (to our protagonist, anyway), eats human food, and smokes, but he also chases motorcycles, pees outdoors, digs in the yard, has an incredible sense of smell, and jumps on strangers; one of the funniest scenes had him motorboating a waitress and then humping her leg, which of course would be sexual harassment if he were really human, but Wilfred gets away with it - gleefully - because he's a dog. I enjoyed the pilot because it was so unique and felt different from most things on television, but it felt more like a movie than a TV show episode. By the end of the episode, Wilfred had already helped Ryan to learn to enjoy his life more and make his own decisions, so it feels like there is no need for more episodes. That being said, I want to keep watching if I am able to (I'm not sure yet if FX Canada is automatically going to show up in one of my satellite packages, as new channels sometimes do, or if it will be part of a package I don't have. Hopefully the former, because Louie is on FX too and I dig that show.)

Survivor: South Pacific
I knew Coach's team was going to win when they started praying. Not because I believed God would help them, but because I believed the show would love to make it look like God helped them. I wouldn't have pegged Coach for an Adam Sandler fan, though they could have also told him to say that to promote the movie. Ozzy made an extremely bold move, but from their visits to witness the Redemption Island duels, they should know that Christine is not a fan of Coach and is likely to side with them, so there is no reason for them to want to beat her. If not for that, it might have almost been a smart move.

Suburgatory
That was a good idea for a Halloween episode, though it may have been a little far-fetched for Lisa and Malik to think Tessa was possessed, as they are among the more sane characters on this show. But I enjoyed watching George delight in all of his Halloween antics.

Community
Another cool episode. I like how everyone's stories reflected their personalities: Britta's being lazy on the details and highlighting chauvenism, as well as failing to make her look smarter than she is by having her read a book titled "Warren Piece"; Abed's being very robotic and facts-based; Annie's being classy and romantic before showing a dark and disturbing side; Troy's being the most childlike and imaginative; Pierce's self-aggrandizing image of himself 30 years younger, beating up the guys and having orgies with the girls; Shirley's being religious and judgmental of everyone (including a bit that proves she clearly doesn't know how marijuana is used); and Jeff's story showing that maybe all of his "Winger speeches" and their ability to bring the group together have gone to his head. As for the ending, Abed being the most sane person in the group makes sense when you think about it, because even though he's technically the only one with a mental disorder, it also pretty much makes him incapable of rage and homicidal thoughts.

Parks and Recreation
The subplot with Chris and Jerry's daughter didn't really work this time around because it was the exact same joke, only this time happening right in front of Jerry. The one funny thing that came of it was April turning Jerry's Mr. Potato Head smile upside down. But I liked seeing Ron and Ann working together, and more over-the-top craziness from Entertainment 720. But I guess Tom will be trudging back to his government job now that the company has tanked.

The Office
It almost seemed like they were recycling the storyline from the garden party episode, but with Erin trying to impress the bosses with her party instead of Andy. Being a Halloween episode disguised it somewhat, though. Robert learning everyone's fears and then incorporating them into a scary story was fun, and so was Dwight bonding with Robert's son over Starcraft (or Starcraft 2, by the looks of the monitors, although - nerdy observation - realistically, Dunder Mifflin probably wouldn't have computers in the office that are capable of running such a recent game.) I'm not sure I believe that Kelly and Toby would team up for matching costumes, because it seems like such a random pairing and there has never been any indication that they are friends, but I do believe that weird, lonely Gabe would invite himself in on the action.

Hero of the Week: Prince Charming from Once Upon a Time, because sword fighting while holding a baby in one arm is both funny and gutsy.

Douchebag of the Week: Gabe from The Office, because that video (and his laugh when he thought of it) he made was just weird, gross, and creepy.

HALLOWEEN BONUS - Best Costumes: Tessa from Suburgatory as Zombie Amelia Earheart (in a flashback), Dwight from The Office as Kerrigan from Starcraft, Creed from The Office as Osama bin Laden, and Erin from The Office as Wendy from Wendy's.

This Week in Television - Oct. 17-21, 2011

Short week this week, but Halloween episodes next week!

Survivor: South Pacific
Ozzy was being overly emotional and childish. Right now it looks like Coach has a better chance of winning the game than he does. As for Brandon, allow me to quote a Mr. John Locke: "Crazy people don't know their going crazy. They think they're getting saner."

Up All Night
Cool to see a flashback episode, though I didn't laugh at it much. Hopefully this show is not already becoming less funny as it goes on. I don't feel that they really did anything new with either the "bad haircut" or "birthing is painful and gross!" jokes. Both have already been done to death in other shows and movies, so if you're going to do them, do them in a new way.

Suburgatory
The story was a good one, but again I didn't really find it that funny. Dallas and Dalia were just more annoying than anything else, and the Shirley Temple dolls, while fine for Sheila's character development, didn't really make for a funny concept. If anything it just made me pity her for seeming so sad and lonely without them.

Hero of the Week: Nobody stood out, but I suppose I'll say George from Suburgatory, for standing up to Dallas and calling his daughter's bluff on the doll-stealing claim.

Douchebag of the Week: Dallas from Suburgatory, because you don't come into someone else's house and then tell them how to run it.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Impressions before seeing it
I was intrigued by the previews, because I really like both indie movies and "hangin' out" movies, and this appeared to be both. I think I almost bought it from a bargain bin once or twice, but wasn't quite sure whether I would like it enough because I still didn't know much about it. My dilemma was solved when it came on TV.

How was it?
It's a good thing Cera and Dennings were likable here, because I found their friends (pretty much every other character in the movie) a little annoying. It's a matter of personal taste, I know, but Nick and Norah seemed to be the only people with any intellect or character. Not that the others were poorly written/acted, I just found myself not caring for them.

The movie follows these two and their friends around New York for a night, searching for a secret show by their favourite band, "Where's Fluffy?", while falling for each other, trying to move on from their exes - who keep trying to reel them back in - and also looking for Norah's drunken friend who got lost. It's clearly a romance, but even more clearly it's a movie about searching, pursuing, and finding. I suppose all of the hunting around the city is meant to be a metaphor for love, for trying to find the right person. Which doesn't always work, even if you think you've found the one at first, like the deception of the "Where's Fluffy?" concert turning out to be a band everyone hates called "Are You Randy?" (perhaps a commentary in itself, hinting that we might mistake physical/sexual attraction for love). Nick and Norah bond through their love of music, but their search for "Where's Fluffy?" only ends once they've made love in her dad's recording studio. Coincidence? I think not. "Are you sad that we missed it?" she asks him after they decide to leave together. "We didn't miss it," he replies. "This is it."

Recommendation
It's a cute little romance. As I said, I only liked the two main characters, but they had good chemistry and were fun to watch. If that's all you need in a movie, then take a look at this one. Similar (and, admittedly, better) movies: Lost in Translation, Dazed and Confused, Once.

Weeds - Season One

After watching this in close proximity to Suburgatory, I've decided that Suburgatory is Weeds without the weeds. Both have illustrated the weird, sterilized, conformism of suburbia, and they even share an actress in common - Allie Grant, who plays a plain-looking daughter in both. But I think Suburgatory plays up the quirkiness more for comedic effect, while Weeds uses it dramatically, even darkly, to show us how troubled, depressed, and bored these characters are with their lives. I mean it is considered a comedy, and it has its funny moments, but for me it played as if it should be a one-hour drama rather than a half-hour comedy, and most of the humour came more from the characters than their environment and its influence on them.

You could also say that Weeds is a lighter and faster version of Breaking Bad (a lot of the things that happened in one season of Weeds took 2 or 3 seasons to play out on Breaking Bad), with the parental figure dealing drugs to support their family, but trying to keep it a secret and thus becoming somewhat distant from them due to all of the unexplained absences. Even the drug itself is lighter, as weed is less dangerous than crystal meth. But maybe I should stop comparing it to other shows and just talk about it directly.

Nancy Botwin is likable because she's strong, smart, and adapts even when she makes mistakes, making her a capable heroine for the story. It's interesting watching her conduct business, because she is not who you'd expect to deal drugs, and therefore she doesn't always do things the same way that some shady thug might. Her sons and brother-in-law are douchey at times, as is her friend Celia, though by the end of the season I understood Celia better and am almost starting to like her. Kevin Nealon is also fun as Nancy's goofy accountant and pot customer.

I enjoyed the season, but I'm not sure if I can identify why. It's entertaining, but not addictive, and it's occasionally funny, but not super hilarious; it's weird, as suburban settings should be, and it has drive but not a lot of thick tension - though Mary-Louise Parker's performance alone almost brings it up to where it should be. I'm not saying this as a complaint, my feeling is just that a lot about this show seems...mild. Maybe it is a lack of cliffhangers, though they pulled out a nice one at the end of the finale. But it's only the first season, which for most shows is just an establishing season until things pick up steam, so I'll report back after I've watched season two.

Best Episode: "The Punishment Lighter", in which a college security guard confiscates Nancy's weed, Nancy confronts a competitor, and Celia loses and then regains her spot as head of the PTA in a loopholed power move.

This Week in Television - Oct. 10-14, 2011

Tuesday night FOX programming is on hiatus until November.

Survivor: South Pacific
I didn't even get most of what Stacey was saying at the duel, but every season has that crazy person who rambles. I got what Cochran was saying about Ozzy's arrogant laziness even before he said it, and I think it was a good move to take out his ally. Coach's enthusiasm about finding the idol - and the claim that even his parents call him Coach - was just plain funny.

Up All Night
Probably the weakest episode so far, but I did enjoy the slight creepiness of the peek-a-boos at the beginning, and Reagan destroying the stroller with "Kayla's mom". Might have been a little too much exposition from Ava's assistant in the limo, though.

Suburgatory
To me, this episode felt a little cartoony in a Glee sort of way. However, Suburgatory has at least established that the whole suburban town is kooky, so they can do something unrealistic - like students waiting in the bathroom to save Tessa the best stall - and have it sort of make sense within the world of the show. But yeah, I liked last week's episode better. Kimantha is a funny name though, because it's so awful. Please, nobody name their daughter Kimantha.

Community
Wow, that was tons of fun. I know it's still early, but this episode is the one to beat for best episode of the season. It was genius how everything just fit together so well, like things being hinted at in one timeline and then revealed in another - especially the "Troy gets the pizzas" timeline, where everything - the boulder, Annie's gun, Britta's smoking, Jeff hitting his head, the creepy troll - worked together to create a crazy disaster comedy, and when Troy returned to observe the chaos I was reminded of the third room in Four Rooms. It also makes it true to character when many of the same things continue to happen in most timelines, like Britta's pizza dance and Pierce's bragging about banging Eartha Kitt in an airplane bathroom. And, like last week, I knew there were seven characters and a die with only six sides, so someone was going to have to point out that Jeff technically wasn't eligible to get the pizzas. The "dark timeline" in the tag was really funny, and I'm pretty sure the show Troy and Abed were watching in their pajamas was "Inspector Space-Time".

Parks and Recreation
Ron's Pawnee Rangers club would have been more successful if it were for adults. Or soldiers. Kids (and Andy) need fun too much. The "treat yo'self" day was funny, and made for an interesting group in Ben, Tom, and Donna. As with April and Andy, and then Tom and Jean-Ralphio, it is a proven successful formula to have level-headed Ben reacting to the craziness of others. The Batman costume making Ben's face look oddly fat only added to the humour of him crying in it. Chris' behaviour regarding Jerry's daughter was douchy, but funny because it's Jerry. Had it been anyone else, I might have considered naming Chris douchebag of the week.

The Office
The best part about Jim's fake garden party book is that the author's name was "James Trickington". Hilarious that Robert would be interested in hippo steaks and giraffe burgers, and that Dwight still thinks Jim and Pam's daughter is named Peepee. Andy created too much awkwardness though, and not in the same way that Michael would, because Michael was usually hilarious in doing so. Andy was just painful to watch here. Nice to see the return of both Mose Schrute and Kevin's toupee. And Darryl was totally right about Rosebud.

Fringe
This week's episode was really cool. I guess we'll have to wait on exactly how Peter was doing that funky warp thing, but I had already guessed it was him from the opening scene, so I was not surprised when he appeared at the end of the episode. I also knew Olivia wasn't going to send Walter back to the asylum. Actually this episode was predictable now that I think about it, but I still really enjoyed it anyway. Interesting to note that in this Peter-free timeline, Olivia has not met any other Cortexiphan patients. And is it just me, or did Peter's reaction to Olivia at the end of the episode seem a little distant and underwhelming? I mean he did smile, but for someone he's supposed to be in love with, hasn't seen in a while, and would have been worried that he might never see her again, all she gets is a smile and a greeting that doesn't have much emotion behind it? Maybe he doesn't remember anything from when he was stuck in between reality and nothingness (or wherever he was), and to him no time has passed at all since he disappeared?

Hero of the Week: Britta from Community, because "Roxanne" is a good song.

Douchebag of the Week: Andy from The Office. Don't try so hard, dude.

Submarine

Impressions before seeing it
I never actually saw any footage from this at all before watching, but I was interested because it was getting some good reviews and was written/directed by Richard Ayoade, who plays Moss on The IT Crowd.

How was it?
I am a sucker for the indie movies that are shot and told in an interesting way. I'm not sure if Submarine qualifies as indie or if it's just more low-key because it's British, but it has that indie feel and that's a big plus because it had me charmed immediately.

The main character, Oliver, is noticing that his parents' relationship is failing just as he himself is landing his first girlfriend at school, and the movie follows his attempts to keep both relationships alive (he's not really a good boyfriend). That synopsis sounds pretty bland, but it's all in the execution. In a style somewhat similar to two of my favourite movies, Amelie and Mary and Max, it makes use of the little details like a character's likes and dislikes, and the quirky things they do to occupy themselves. I can't really explain why in words, but I will never get tired of that technique. It's maybe a little reminiscent of The Squid and the Whale as well, but more in terms of content than style.

I saw a lot of myself in Oliver, as he is quiet, introverted, awkward, and at times seems aloof, but his narration proves otherwise. He also does things I would never do, so he's not exactly like me, but I identified all the same. A high school student, he is in that crucial in-between stage where he is beginning to make adult decisions but still has the maturity and imagination of a child; Submarine is Oliver's journey to being less selfish. As he works on the two relationships, he is only applying selflessness to one of them, and only after saving his parents' marriage can he concentrate on being a better boyfriend. Maybe he's just not good at multi-tasking.

Recommendation
I really, really loved it. It kept me smiling (and occasionally laughing), and if you're a fan of the indie style then I highly recommend it.

This Week in Television - Oct. 3-7, 2011

The Playboy Club
Well, The Playboy Club was canceled this week. I don't know why this one got the axe and Charlie's Angels is still going, because I caught a few minutes of the latter and it was awful in a way that should have been left in an earlier TV era. Different networks, though. Speaking of different networks, it looks like CityTV will air the remaining episodes in Canada, and Bravo may or may not be choosing to continue the series, so we're not done just yet. Anyway, last week's was probably the best episode of these first three. It feels like they're not sure what pace to go at regarding the murder thing, as they spent the first two episodes with it lurking in the background, then this week they almost blew everything wide open, and then they put it back down to just the mob boss' son being pretty much the only person left who is suspicious of Maureen. And it may have been overkill to add a third woman for Nick, putting him in a crazy love quadrangle - even if the third woman is a closet lesbian. We get it, he's a womanizer, that doesn't mean he has to have 50 regular girlfriends.

Glee
This episode was all about everyone worrying that they're not good enough, and then recycling the show's old "be happy with yourself and like who you are" theme. In other words, another after school special episode. It was funny when Mike's father suggested he was on drugs, and then we got the scenes of Mike dancing and hallucinating his father and Tina, and I was like "maybe he's on drugs after all!" Then I hoped his backup dancers in the audition were also hallucinated, because I didn't buy that he would bring them, or need them. McKinley must be a top of the line Catholic high school, because the production values on every single thing they do there are way too high for high school students. And Sue's very brief cameo in the bleachers during Brittany's performance seemed unnecessary and a lazy excuse to squeeze Jane Lynch into the episode because they didn't have anything else for her to do. Might as well have just left her out entirely, it wouldn't have made a difference to anything whatsoever in the episode. I'm glad Mr. Schue kicked Mercedes out of the glee club, because she's been spoiled since day one and no one has ever really acknowledged it. I mean what she said about Rachel might be true, and Rachel is also full of herself, but not really in an aggressive way that is destructive to others like Mercedes. P.S. Coach Beiste stuffing her face with spaghetti was kind of funny but didn't do any favours for her, or spaghetti.

New Girl
I think the storyline with Schmidt aiming too high in his conquests could have been used later on in the series as a way for him to realize that maybe he can get better women if he stops being a douche and trying so hard. Instead it just kind of resulted in him pitying himself for going home with Natasha Lyonne and having no apparent epiphanies about it, but I did enjoy the scene in the bathroom with Jess cutting off her underwear and being misinterpreted by Katie Cassidy as crazy and threatening. However, it's going to get old soon if every episode ends with the guys joining Jess in making fools of themselves.

Survivor: South Pacific
Good job at the challenge, Dawn. She was the underdog but somehow she won it. Stacey probably shouldn't have been voted out, but it was funny when Coach tried to hug her and she refused. Why is everyone always so arrogant about Redemption Island? Unless you're the very last person voted out, you don't just have to win one challenge to get back in the game, you have to win a bunch in a row without losing. What part of that sounds easy?

Up All Night
Nothing against Maya Rudolph, but I don't find her character as funny or interesting as Reagan and Chris, and Nick Cannon is even more useless, but then I've never seen him make a valuable contribution to anything. But I really enjoyed the stuff with the A-Team van and them thinking the Native guy turned into a bird. I'm liking this show, but I would like it more without the Ava B-stories.

Suburgatory
Missed the premiere last week because it screwed up when I tried to tape it, so I'm coming in on episode 2. I liked the bright, sterile atmosphere and quirky suburban lifestyle this show seems to be developing. I don't know if ALL of the humour is my thing, but I did get a big laugh out of Ryan saying he would want to have dinner with a dead Scarlett Johansson. I'm not entirely sure yet if I like this show, but I'll keep watching for now.

Community
I enjoy episodes like this, that are about the group dealing with their own politics. Interesting to note that Pierce already rose in popularity after being at the bottom a short time ago, although the rankings were based on who everyone would want to be partners with for class projects, not necessarily who everyone likes best. But I knew the group had 7 characters, so as soon as they campaigned the teacher to let them pick their own partners, someone was going to get left out. Chang's film noir story was hilarious, if only because he was acting so insane and I am amused by things that make no sense. The biology teacher's speech about Legos was true, too. Can you even buy a set of just plain Lego bricks anymore?

Parks and Recreation
I recall the "patriotic person secretly not born in the town they love" story being used for Hank on King of the Hill, but since that show was more hit and miss and the stakes are higher for Leslie, I think it worked better here. Also, it's awesome that this episode was about Leslie's book, because for those who don't know, it is a real book. It's sitting in my room right now. According to multiple forewords, Leslie wrote the entire thing from memory and finished it in a 55-hour marathon without sleep and hopped up on energy drinks. Anyway, another very fun episode - loved the stuff with drunk Joan, Andy being Burt Macklin again (which never gets old), Tom spraying himself with cologne (he just kept spraying and spraying!), and Ann trying to figure out how to get the two most antisocial people she knows to talk to her.

The Office
This wasn't one of the funnier episodes because it spent a lot of time on Darryl being depressed and didn't have Robert California, who I feel is a more entertaining Michael Scott void-filler than Andy. I found some laughs in the little things, though, like the applicant who ate Stanley's lunch, and Oscar's delivery of the line about the guy who "got fixated on his calves, and his triceps went to hell".

Fringe
I thought Peter wasn't supposed to exist, but I guess it was just adult Peter that got erased, as both child Peters kicked the bucket in this new timeline. The psychic link made the spore thing more interesting, because spores by themselves would have been boring, and Walter spending time with the lonely kid worked as a transition to finally moving towards finding Peter as he acknowledges the hole in his life. Maybe he'll build some crazy machine that will allow Peter to stabilize long enough to convey the message he's been trying to send.

Hero of the Week: Ann from Parks and Recreation, for finally figuring out how to get Ron and April's attention (not an easy thing to do).

Douchebag of the Week: Todd from Community. No offense, Todd.

This Week in Television - Sept. 26-30, 2011

The Playboy Club
I thought this was a better episode than the pilot, mainly because they dropped Hugh Hefner's narration and weren't blatantly trying to show off how progressive Playboy was. Nick Dalton isn't really an interesting character so far, but the animosity between Carol-Lynne and Maureen can probably drive the show for quite a while. And I don't think using the key in the photo shoot was a good idea - apparently they have unique identifiers on them, so someone will probably see the photos and recognize whose key it is, getting Maureen in big trouble. Putting it in the "vanishing cream" afterwards was hilariously eye-rolling, but I would've just flushed it down the toilet. I'm betting there will be a scene where one of the other bunnies goes, "Can I use some of your vanishing cream?" and then finds it in there.

Glee
Well, that was fast. It's only episode two and we're already on to a boring, drama-filled episode. Does anyone actually beat anyone up for "lunch money", or does that only happen on TV? Because I know Glee loves to pull out the high school cliches and stereotypes. And as soon as Blaine auditioned, I saw it coming that the judges would want him to be Tony. Even Sue and Brittany weren't that great in this episode; the only good part was Kurt's dad, because he makes good fatherly speeches.

New Girl
Because of his reactions to Jess, I found Winston funnier than Coach, though there wasn't much to develop his character in this episode. Still don't like Schmidt, but without the douchebag jar he was, ironically, a little bit less of a douchebag. I wasn't really a fan of the gag with the guys putting on the pretty hats either, but I hope it served its purpose in getting Jess to finally move on from her ex-boyfriend. Confronting it in this episode was fine, but I don't think she needs to dwell on it for the entire season/series (and speaking of that, FOX actually gave it a full season extension!).

Survivor: South Pacific
Yeah, so Brandon is crazy, and it doesn't help that he's constantly trying to play the Christian card in his talking heads in a lame attempt to make the audience at home think he's a good guy. And it's not a good sign if even Coach recognizes how crazy you are.

Up All Night
I enjoyed seeing Wills Arnett and Forte together again in some expectedly weird but funny scenes (though not as weird as Forte usually is), and Christina Applegate's willingness to put vanity aside and do a scene where she wears baggy clothes, gobbles food messily and spills it on herself, and then gets it stuck in her teeth. It's when actresses refuse to do those kinds of things that people start to claim women aren't funny. Oh, and I don't know how intentional this was, but in the old Youtube video of Ava and B-Ro fighting, the way Reagan's hair was, Applegate totally looked like Kelly Bundy again.

Community
I like Pierce being his old racist self again, he's funnier that way. Enjoyed the model UN stuff for Annie's exaggerated tantrum, Jeff and Pierce having an immature argument through their countries, and Abed's obsession with the two parallel Earths. Britta is one of the less funnier characters, but it's nice to see her get to go crazy once in a while, and pairing her with Chang for the B-story was an interesting idea, though it didn't seem like the episode for Britta to have her own storyline because I would've thought she'd be applying her self-righteous activism to fictionally improve the world at the model UN. Then again, I don't think she protests things with the intention of actually accomplishing anything.

The Office
Yeah, Andy definitely felt like a Michael Scott in this episode, so much so that if they had done this episode with Michael instead, it probably would have turned out exactly the same, although whether Michael would have gone through with the tattoo is debatable, because he can be cowardly. I suppose the real difference in dynamic is that, according to this episode and last week's, the office started out generally loving Andy, while it took several seasons for everyone to finally love Michael. With the exception of Dwight of course, but Dwight almost never shares his co-workers' opinions on anything. Anyway, I knew the tattoo was going to be something nice when Pam switched it at the last second, but the Nard dog was perfect.

Parks and Recreation
Anything involving Ron and his ex-wives is always classic. Interesting that Tammy 2 turns him into a crazy, sinful demon while Tammy 1 turns him into a meek little church boy. The drinking contest was great just for everyone's reaction to the horrible liquor, and for Ron's odd way of shoulder-chugging. Ben at Entertainment 720 was similar to last season's episode where he helped April and Andy with their living conditions, but I suppose this is the opposite because April and Andy were just appallingly poor and messy, while Tom and Jean-Ralphio are very particular about everything but prone to ridiculous overspending. And anyway both were hilarious and in line with the characters, so it's all good.

Fringe
Except for the short Walter segments, this episode felt like they were just killing time and taking advantage of the main characters being able to cross between universes whenever they want. But it wasn't a bad episode, I thought the idea of a psychologist studying himself without knowing it was interesting, and the conversation between the two alternates nicely paralleled the one between the two Olivias in its suggestion that it may have come down to just one moment/decision that ultimately made their lives different. Would it be awesome or hackneyed if Peter ended up being in a surprise third universe? ...Where Olivia has BLACK hair!

Hero of the Week: Tom and Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Recreation. Even though 99% of the Entertainment 720 headquarters is highly unnecessary, it's also 99% hilarious.

Douchebag of the Week: Tammy 1 from Parks and Recreation, because I was as horrified as Leslie was at what she turned Ron Swanson into.

In Bruges

Impressions before seeing it
Heard it was supposed to be funny, and I remember them liking it on Ebert & Roeper. Saw it was coming on TV and thought "why not?"

How was it?
In Bruges is the story of two hit men who just finished a job and are told to hide out in Bruges, Belgium while they wait for further instructions. The trailer makes it look like more of an action thriller than it is (it doesn't really become one until about the last 20 minutes); it's more about these two characters cooped up in this foreign town, one of them enjoying its charm and history (Gleeson), and one of them hating that it's so small and boring (Farrell). A lot of the movie is just them trying to keep busy and encountering characters while waiting for that important call, until we get the flashback of how the hit went.

Some of it was genuinely funny, though I did feel that Colin Farrell was sometimes being too hammy during the comedic scenes - however, it may be that I've just never been a fan of his because his screen presence bothers me for some reason. I will say that he handled the dramatic scenes much better, especially when trying to hold back sobs. The most enjoyable performance in this movie instead goes to Ralph Fiennes, as a really funny villain with a Cockney accent who still manages to be scary and intimidating even while you're laughing at him.

Recommendation
It's a fun movie. The non-action half of the movie is easy to get through because the two lead characters are kind of an odd couple and play off each other very well thanks to some smart writing, and this is one of those rare mixtures of comedy and drama where both seem to work well without getting in each other's way. Definitely worth a watch. Even if you don't like Colin Farrell.