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.