This Week in Television - Jan. 29-Feb. 3, 2012

Once Upon a Time
I don't know how we were supposed to sympathize with the genie when he seemed to only love the queen for her looks. I felt worse for the king because he was nice enough to free him and it got him stabbed in the back. I saw Emma's failure coming; it was too easy (and, in the series, too soon) for that to be able to stop the mayor. I'm wondering if this mysterious writer guy was the original author of the fairy tale book and has come to finish it or something.

Glee
Rather than go on another rant, perhaps I should just say this: Worst. Episode. Ever. And that's saying a lot when it comes to Glee.

New Girl
I thought Julia was a more fun person in her scenes with Nick last episode, but this week there weren't any signs of that as her being mean was a driving force behind the story. It didn't quite feel consistent, but I did laugh at the bathroom-crying jokes. Winston's storyline was a little dull, but at least it was a bit of character development for him. Schmidt's parts weren't so much a storyline as one very simple joke, which worked best at the end when Nick revealed how little he washes things.

30 Rock
I don't think anyone will disagree that the best line in this episode was "It's the ultimate game... Jack Donaghy playing with himself... It's a Jack-off." I thought Liz using Jack's negotiation tactics against him was an awesomely fun episode idea, and it didn't disappoint. However, Tracy and Jenna at the bar mitzvah didn't work as well for me. It just felt like one joke gone on too long, and a potential platform for character growth that probably won't actually result in any growth from either of them. And I was actually kind of looking forward to the possibility of Kenneth having a different job at NBC, just to change things up, but I guess that was a cop-out, too.

Parks and Recreation
I almost thought this episode was a rerun when it opened with "Galentine's Day", which a season 2 episode also did, but then Leslie mentioned that April was married and my confusion became delight at the show's continuity. Sometimes when The Office does a certain event like that, we never see it again even if it's supposed to be happening regularly. Chris DJing the party with sad music was predictable, but it was interesting seeing him in a depressed state because it's so contrary to what we're used to from him. Ron, Andy, and Ben as the clue-hunting team was awesome; especially Ron's transition from hating riddles (or at least pretending to) to outright loving them and having so much of a blast that he requests a clue hunt from Leslie for his birthday. I kind of hope we get to see that now. Ann and Tom was a pretty big surprise; I know they were using the idea of Ann and Chris reuniting as a red herring, but because it seemed apparent so early in the episode I thought it was just going to be a very predictable plot point. I like being surprised, so that was an interesting twist, and while it was unclear whether that relationship will continue (it ended with Ann remarking that it was a mistake, but that could be interpreted as a joke), it might be fun if it does. Also very interesting that we've had two episodes in a row where April shows compassion for someone who annoys her. Something's going on there!

The Office
I think the whole jury duty thing was a little over the top, and the web of lies became excrutiating rather than funny. The better part of the episode was actually Angela's baby, with Kevin gleefully calling it "Little Kevin" and Oscar being so amused at her being involved in two shams at once (the gay senator husband and the non-premature baby) that he didn't know which thread to follow first.

Up All Night
It's always fun to see Dennis Duffy from 30 Rock, but once again this show still has trouble making their guest stars funny. The brotherly competitiveness is nothing remotely new to television, and I think I've clarified by now that extended jokes lasting the whole episode are a big drag unless it's a really, really funny joke. This show is only bringing the occasional laugh now, but when it's not funny, it's not excruciatingly unfunny, so I still find it watchable because I enjoy Arnett and Applegate. But I do wish it were funnier than it is.

Fringe
I can't believe it took them four seasons for Astrid to be so heavily featured in an episode, but I'm glad that episode now exists. It was oddly fascinating seeing Alt-Astrid as something of a semi-autistic, semi-childlike savant with no apparent dark side to her, and Jasika Nicole killed that performance. But the scenes with Walter and Fauxlivia felt off. He has no reason to despise her in this timeline if she couldn't have seduced and deceived a non-existent Peter. With two death prediction cases in a row, I thought they were going to come back to Olivia's impending death, but instead they showed us a piece of Observer technology and revealed an Observer's name. I'll take it.

Hero of the Week: Jack from 30 Rock, for both winning and losing the "Jack-off" with grace.

Douchebag of the Week: No one really stood out, but I guess I'll say Dwight from The Office. His glee over the possibility of getting Jim fired was a little annoying.