No Ordinary Family
This week's episode felt like it was trying really hard to be a sitcom. There were a lot of moments that I could tell were supposed to be funny but weren't because, like everything else about this show, they were bland and unoriginal. JJ only looked smaller than the other football players because he actually looks like a high school student, whereas the other guys were clearly in their 20's. And then he makes the football team because of ONE complete pass? Coach, don't you think you should make sure he can do it more than once, as well as test his abilities in other areas? That was even worse than Artie joining the football team on Glee. The only good scene was when Daphne tried to blackmail the variety store cashier and it didn't work because she had no proof.
Running Wilde
I didn't laugh too much at this episode, except for the scene where Steve and Fa'ad discuss their low scale "unnecessoirees" and then lapse into tiredness and Fa'ad steals the idea for a hooker-filled cocaine dome. That scene was great, but the rest of the jokes felt a little lazy and predictable.
Survivor: Nicaragua
Marty's story about being a Grandmaster in chess might have been believable if he hadn't added the part about beating a renowned player twice as a kid. But I guess that's irrelevant when you're talking to "Fabio". I didn't really understand the logic behind either of the votes in this episode, possibly because they edited it that way to make it surprising. Well, I suppose they only wanted to flush out Marty's idol and not vote him off, but I don't get how the other tribe would unanimously vote Eve after Dan kind of talked himself into a hole. Oh, and kudos to Jill for cleaning up at the challenge.
Community
So true that Professor Duncan would waste Anthropology time by showing Youtube videos in class. I know we've all spent hours watching movies in English class (and others, but mostly English) for no educational reason. With the leather pants and no beard, Abed looked more like Michael Jackson than Jesus, and I was expecting one of the characters to point this out but since no one did I guess it wasn't intentional. For an Abed storyline, though, it wasn't that great, although I found it funny when they were watching a rough cut and Star Burns - the editor, I assume - kept looking over at Abed to check his approval. And I liked Britta's line, "I don't even believe in God, but I love me some Abed."
30 Rock
Kudos for getting that one-take commercial filmed multiple times, unless they only did it once and then snuck a cut in there. Jack's solution for Tracy was awesome, and not unlike putting peanut butter on the roof of a dog's mouth for a talking animal movie. Liz's weird/gross/embarrassing stories are always great, and flashbacks of her playing her younger self are even better. Also liked all of the stupid cake typos, even if the bakery staff should've become suspicious at the same person constantly returning misprinted cakes (I know they made a point of mentioning there were two clerks, and that they were ordering from one and returning to the other, but nobody ever switched roles so they would've caught on.) P.S. Happy Blirthday, Jennica!
The Office
It's good that once in a while they do an episode like this, where Michael actually accomplishes something (in this case the hiring of Danny), because we need to be reminded that he does actually have some sales skills and that's why he made manager. Although it was also backhanded in that he "forgot about Packer", which might lead to an amusing firing (or at least a conflict between the two traveling salesmen) in a future episode. I like that Andy was bummed when Creed liked his song - even though Creed (both the character and the actor playing him) was part of a bluegrass band at one point, so he has musical abilities, it's probably not a good thing if Creed agrees with you on something. The best line in the episode was Dwight's about the "Penis Museum", where tickets are a thousand dollars.
Hero of the Week: Britta from Community, for the line above which was QUOTED FOR TRUTH!
Douchebag of the Week: Kelsey Grammer from 30 Rock, playing a version of himself that was pretty evil. FRAAAAJERRRRR!
Showing posts with label no ordinary family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label no ordinary family. Show all posts
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
This Week in Television - Oct. 11-15, 2010
No Ordinary Family
Funnily enough, after my complaint last week I don't think the word "family" was said even once this episode. This show still fails to do anything new though, and the storylines this week were all quite predictable, but I forgot to mention last week that I like the idea of Stephanie's healing powers, because it would make things more interesting if everyone turned out to have more than one power (for a moment when Jim started leaping across the city I thought it was a new power, but I guess it can just be attributed to super strong leg muscles. Maybe Stephanie's healing is simply an extension of the same power as well since it's rapid and all). Also it bothers me to see grappling hooks because I'm pretty sure the only people who use them in real life are rock climbers, and even in a show with super powers I can't accept it.
Glee
Ugh, too much high school relationship drama and not enough Sue Sylvester. And if Rachel and Finn wanted Sam to win, why wouldn't she just team up with Sam instead of throwing the competition? I would think one of them would at least suggest it.
Running Wilde
Puddle's voice was not needed to tell us that the kid thought Emmy was hitting on him or that his dad (Andy Richter) thought Steve was hitting on him. But I'll forgive it for the disturbingly funny car wash scene and Fa'ad's unintentional but dead-on Alan Alda impression.
Survivor: Nicaragua
Why were they arguing over whether to eat a chicken? I mean, yes, it would cut down egg production, which is why they could have eaten THE ROOSTER that came with the two hens. Either they already ate the rooster and edited out that fact, or nobody knows anything whatsoever about chickens. Also I didn't appreciate Jeff commenting on how surprised everyone looked at the tribe swap, because a) it was like Survivor trying to proclaim how brilliant it is, and b) it wasn't surprising in the least to us as viewers because we saw it in the previews. A twist isn't much of a twist if we know it's coming! I would honestly be more surprised if they advertised a twist and then didn't have one.
Community
Wow, more KFC after Running Wilde's stunt last week. But this episode was awesome. I love when Community parodies a genre, in this case Apollo 13 type space movies. I was kind of expecting SANDERS to go crazy like HAL, but instead it was Pierce. And cardboard box spaceships: priceless.
30 Rock
There wasn't much point in doing a live episode. Mostly it just added a laughtrack, which is never needed, but I did appreciate some of the gags that poked fun at their own gimmick. I guess what's supposed to be "exciting" about live shows is that someone could crack up or have a wardrobe malfunction, which were both teased in the storyline but the cast was professional enough that neither one actually happened.
The Office
I saw the preview for this episode and it sounded like a fun concept, and it was to an extent, but it just kind of felt like one long joke instead of a collection of jokes. But it was cool to catch up with Michael's old flames, and funny that he was meticulous enough to include Oscar because of the kiss from four seasons ago. Michael's phone conversation with Holly was cute - she is one of very few people who gets him - and it's always great to see Dwight being so gullible when people are joking about a car crash.
Fringe
Cool, Broyles finally got to do a little ass-kicking! After this episode I am appreciating the parallels between the Olivias, both of them struggling with what pretending to be the other is doing to them, and a third parallel in this episode with the shapeshifters coming to love their pretend families. Also every time Newton shows up I find it funny (and strangely appropriate) that he looks a lot like Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Hero of the Week: For the second week in a row, Michael Scott from The Office, for his message to Holly at the end of the episode. For years we've seen him misinterpret every one of his relationships, but this time he was finally right while Holly was sweeping a good thing under the rug because of her relationship with AJ.
Douchebag of the Week: The cop shapeshifter from Fringe (played by Paul Giamatti's brother!) for the speech he gave to his son. I know he meant well and was trying to soften the blow of what might happen to him, but I think "there are no monsters" would have been a better response than "monsters aren't bad".
Funnily enough, after my complaint last week I don't think the word "family" was said even once this episode. This show still fails to do anything new though, and the storylines this week were all quite predictable, but I forgot to mention last week that I like the idea of Stephanie's healing powers, because it would make things more interesting if everyone turned out to have more than one power (for a moment when Jim started leaping across the city I thought it was a new power, but I guess it can just be attributed to super strong leg muscles. Maybe Stephanie's healing is simply an extension of the same power as well since it's rapid and all). Also it bothers me to see grappling hooks because I'm pretty sure the only people who use them in real life are rock climbers, and even in a show with super powers I can't accept it.
Glee
Ugh, too much high school relationship drama and not enough Sue Sylvester. And if Rachel and Finn wanted Sam to win, why wouldn't she just team up with Sam instead of throwing the competition? I would think one of them would at least suggest it.
Running Wilde
Puddle's voice was not needed to tell us that the kid thought Emmy was hitting on him or that his dad (Andy Richter) thought Steve was hitting on him. But I'll forgive it for the disturbingly funny car wash scene and Fa'ad's unintentional but dead-on Alan Alda impression.
Survivor: Nicaragua
Why were they arguing over whether to eat a chicken? I mean, yes, it would cut down egg production, which is why they could have eaten THE ROOSTER that came with the two hens. Either they already ate the rooster and edited out that fact, or nobody knows anything whatsoever about chickens. Also I didn't appreciate Jeff commenting on how surprised everyone looked at the tribe swap, because a) it was like Survivor trying to proclaim how brilliant it is, and b) it wasn't surprising in the least to us as viewers because we saw it in the previews. A twist isn't much of a twist if we know it's coming! I would honestly be more surprised if they advertised a twist and then didn't have one.
Community
Wow, more KFC after Running Wilde's stunt last week. But this episode was awesome. I love when Community parodies a genre, in this case Apollo 13 type space movies. I was kind of expecting SANDERS to go crazy like HAL, but instead it was Pierce. And cardboard box spaceships: priceless.
30 Rock
There wasn't much point in doing a live episode. Mostly it just added a laughtrack, which is never needed, but I did appreciate some of the gags that poked fun at their own gimmick. I guess what's supposed to be "exciting" about live shows is that someone could crack up or have a wardrobe malfunction, which were both teased in the storyline but the cast was professional enough that neither one actually happened.
The Office
I saw the preview for this episode and it sounded like a fun concept, and it was to an extent, but it just kind of felt like one long joke instead of a collection of jokes. But it was cool to catch up with Michael's old flames, and funny that he was meticulous enough to include Oscar because of the kiss from four seasons ago. Michael's phone conversation with Holly was cute - she is one of very few people who gets him - and it's always great to see Dwight being so gullible when people are joking about a car crash.
Fringe
Cool, Broyles finally got to do a little ass-kicking! After this episode I am appreciating the parallels between the Olivias, both of them struggling with what pretending to be the other is doing to them, and a third parallel in this episode with the shapeshifters coming to love their pretend families. Also every time Newton shows up I find it funny (and strangely appropriate) that he looks a lot like Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Hero of the Week: For the second week in a row, Michael Scott from The Office, for his message to Holly at the end of the episode. For years we've seen him misinterpret every one of his relationships, but this time he was finally right while Holly was sweeping a good thing under the rug because of her relationship with AJ.
Douchebag of the Week: The cop shapeshifter from Fringe (played by Paul Giamatti's brother!) for the speech he gave to his son. I know he meant well and was trying to soften the blow of what might happen to him, but I think "there are no monsters" would have been a better response than "monsters aren't bad".
Monday, October 11, 2010
This Week in Television - Oct. 4-8, 2010
No Ordinary Family
The most annoying thing about this show is that every character says the word "family" about 10-20 times each in an episode. WE GET IT, IT'S A SHOW ABOUT A FAMILY! However this week's episode was less hackneyed than the pilot and I hope it continues to improve, but I still find myself not caring about the characters because they're boring and generic. I'm glad it wasn't the water that caused the super powers, because that would have been kind of a lame and easy answer.
Glee
Ah, the old religion debate. Sue made some good points except I believe that the separation of church and state is an illusion, because clearly a politician's religion is of major concern to the voting public, and that says it all. As silly as the "Grilled Cheesus" storyline was, Finn is dumb enough to buy into it so it worked in that sense, but I found myself more moved by Sue and her sister than by Kurt and his dad.
Running Wilde
Sneaky move, FOX, having a joke about Steve discovering KFC and then going directly to an actual KFC commercial. I like this show, but Puddle's narration isn't as good as Ron Howard's on Arrested Development, and I'm thinking it might get canceled before the season ends. P.S. Fa'ad has the same chest hair as Austin Powers.
Survivor: Nicaragua
I found it funny that Jimmy T. would refer to himself in the third person when stating whether someone is "a fan of Jimmy T.". Naonka is still crazy for seemingly no reason, but again I'm sure editing plays a part, and even with an idol I guarantee she will not win.
Community
I think this week's episode was season 2's "Social Psychology", meaning it felt a little off and wasn't quite as funny as the other episodes tend to be, at least to me. The Duncan/Chang forcefield thing was fun though, and I totally missed it but apparently there was another storyline going on in the background about Abed helping a pregnant student give birth, which becomes awesome when he shows up near the end of the episode to say that he hasn't been up to anything.
30 Rock
Loved Liz mispronouncing Donald Glover's name to make it sound more black, Rob Reiner saying "rhubarb, rhubarb, peas and carrots" into the mic like extras in a crowd scene, and Dotcom's cheesy sitcom (the talking dog had two dates, and they both showed up at the same time!) Not really a fan of Queen Latifah though, or of storylines involving Jenna.
The Office
I found it funny that Darryl was insistent on listening to the play's overture so that he would be able to recognize the musical themes when they come back later. While he has displayed an ear for music in the past, he didn't seem like someone who would care about musical themes in an amateur play. Also Michael acting out an entire episode of Law and Order as an audition for the play was awesome, and very well acted by Carell because he genuinely projected nervousness (and thus it was not well acted by Michael.) And how did Creed become a theater critic? Was there even anyone on the other end of the phone?
Fringe
I liked the "death by chain reaction" concept here - sort of like Final Destination, except not ridiculously over the top and actually caused by a person. It's also interesting if they're going to go back and forth between universes every other episode, although I don't know how long they can keep it up. If Olivia still retains some of her memories and has the ability to jump between worlds then I suppose it won't be dragged on too long.
Hero of the Week: Michael Scott from The Office, for his Law and Order performance, complete with musical cues.
Douchebag of the Week: Grilled Cheesus from Glee. YOU'RE NOT REAL!
The most annoying thing about this show is that every character says the word "family" about 10-20 times each in an episode. WE GET IT, IT'S A SHOW ABOUT A FAMILY! However this week's episode was less hackneyed than the pilot and I hope it continues to improve, but I still find myself not caring about the characters because they're boring and generic. I'm glad it wasn't the water that caused the super powers, because that would have been kind of a lame and easy answer.
Glee
Ah, the old religion debate. Sue made some good points except I believe that the separation of church and state is an illusion, because clearly a politician's religion is of major concern to the voting public, and that says it all. As silly as the "Grilled Cheesus" storyline was, Finn is dumb enough to buy into it so it worked in that sense, but I found myself more moved by Sue and her sister than by Kurt and his dad.
Running Wilde
Sneaky move, FOX, having a joke about Steve discovering KFC and then going directly to an actual KFC commercial. I like this show, but Puddle's narration isn't as good as Ron Howard's on Arrested Development, and I'm thinking it might get canceled before the season ends. P.S. Fa'ad has the same chest hair as Austin Powers.
Survivor: Nicaragua
I found it funny that Jimmy T. would refer to himself in the third person when stating whether someone is "a fan of Jimmy T.". Naonka is still crazy for seemingly no reason, but again I'm sure editing plays a part, and even with an idol I guarantee she will not win.
Community
I think this week's episode was season 2's "Social Psychology", meaning it felt a little off and wasn't quite as funny as the other episodes tend to be, at least to me. The Duncan/Chang forcefield thing was fun though, and I totally missed it but apparently there was another storyline going on in the background about Abed helping a pregnant student give birth, which becomes awesome when he shows up near the end of the episode to say that he hasn't been up to anything.
30 Rock
Loved Liz mispronouncing Donald Glover's name to make it sound more black, Rob Reiner saying "rhubarb, rhubarb, peas and carrots" into the mic like extras in a crowd scene, and Dotcom's cheesy sitcom (the talking dog had two dates, and they both showed up at the same time!) Not really a fan of Queen Latifah though, or of storylines involving Jenna.
The Office
I found it funny that Darryl was insistent on listening to the play's overture so that he would be able to recognize the musical themes when they come back later. While he has displayed an ear for music in the past, he didn't seem like someone who would care about musical themes in an amateur play. Also Michael acting out an entire episode of Law and Order as an audition for the play was awesome, and very well acted by Carell because he genuinely projected nervousness (and thus it was not well acted by Michael.) And how did Creed become a theater critic? Was there even anyone on the other end of the phone?
Fringe
I liked the "death by chain reaction" concept here - sort of like Final Destination, except not ridiculously over the top and actually caused by a person. It's also interesting if they're going to go back and forth between universes every other episode, although I don't know how long they can keep it up. If Olivia still retains some of her memories and has the ability to jump between worlds then I suppose it won't be dragged on too long.
Hero of the Week: Michael Scott from The Office, for his Law and Order performance, complete with musical cues.
Douchebag of the Week: Grilled Cheesus from Glee. YOU'RE NOT REAL!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
This Week in Television - Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2010
No Ordinary Family
I know ABC is owned by Disney but wow, this definitely felt like a watered down Disney project. Was the title "No Ordinary Family" meant to be ironic? Because I found the family to be incredibly ordinary and bland - except for the super powers, of course. And even in that respect the pilot fails to bring nothing new whatsoever to the superpower genre because everything in it has been done before in Heroes, The Incredibles, and all those Marvel movies (and in each of those cases, it was probably done better). In spite of this I might keep watching for a bit, though I don't even know why. I guess it's the nerd in me who enjoys seeing superpowers in action. I miss Heroes already.
Glee
This episode was dumb, if only because I don't understand why anyone would find it appealing to watch the cast of Glee do shot by shot remakes of Britney Spears videos (not to mention Rachel was singing "Baby One More Time" one or two octaves too high when the sluttiness of the song is meant to be accented by a low growl like Britney's). I mean the musical numbers on Glee are already largely unappealing and I still don't understand the popularity of nobodys singing famous songs that Glee and American Idol have cultivated, but now we have to watch them butcher music videos too? It was like watching that horrible show on MuchMusic where they give average people makeovers to look like singers and then remake a music video with them lip-syncing the song. At least Sue was awesome in the scene where she threatened to sue Mr. Schue after being injured in the "sex riot", and when she told Becky to be ready to make a citizen's arrest.
Running Wilde
I thought this week's episode was funnier than last week's. Good to see David Cross return, and I liked the running gag of Fa'ad seeming to subtly seduce everyone with his strange classy charms.
Survivor: Nicaragua
Whoever is editing these episodes together is making Naonka look like a cartoonish stereotype - not that she isn't, but I'm sure they're just throwing her worst moments together to make it look like she's like that all the time. So far I'm rooting for Jill on the old tribe, because she is one of the few people who hasn't said or done anything stupid yet.
Community
Drew Carey looks weird without all that weight. Good to see Rob Corddry though, I usually find him funny as the wild douchebag types he tends to play (as he did here). I suspect Chang has ulterior motives for wanting into the study group, which should be fun in a later episode when he finally makes it in.
30 Rock
The funniest part of Paul Giamatti's guest appearance was how the woman he had a crush on looked like she was from the '80's. Also enjoyed Jack's tapes to his future child and Kenneth wearing a Tracy mask (which actually fooled his drugged up wife). Season five is going well.
The Office
Michael trying to mess with Toby was fun, but it was kind of a nice moment when he made Toby laugh with his Gabe impression. I figured there was a good reason why Dwight wasn't allowed in that store, but I thought it would just be that he went during closing hours without realizing it. Hope Pam doesn't get busted. Pretty sure what she's doing is illegal.
Fringe
I liked this one better than last week's episode. I don't mind the weekly case formula as long as they include the continuing story as well, which they did. Now that Walter owns Massive Dynamic, maybe he can rein Nina in so she stops being so shady. Bonus irony points for shooting a deaf guy with a silenced weapon.
Hero of the Week: Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, for being voted "Most" in his class at Harvard Business School. Rock on, JD!
Douchebag of the Week: Alan (Rob Corddry) from Community, for ratting out Jeff back in the day, and Jeff still did him the favour of convincing Ted (Drew Carey) to make him partner. Not cool, man!
I know ABC is owned by Disney but wow, this definitely felt like a watered down Disney project. Was the title "No Ordinary Family" meant to be ironic? Because I found the family to be incredibly ordinary and bland - except for the super powers, of course. And even in that respect the pilot fails to bring nothing new whatsoever to the superpower genre because everything in it has been done before in Heroes, The Incredibles, and all those Marvel movies (and in each of those cases, it was probably done better). In spite of this I might keep watching for a bit, though I don't even know why. I guess it's the nerd in me who enjoys seeing superpowers in action. I miss Heroes already.
Glee
This episode was dumb, if only because I don't understand why anyone would find it appealing to watch the cast of Glee do shot by shot remakes of Britney Spears videos (not to mention Rachel was singing "Baby One More Time" one or two octaves too high when the sluttiness of the song is meant to be accented by a low growl like Britney's). I mean the musical numbers on Glee are already largely unappealing and I still don't understand the popularity of nobodys singing famous songs that Glee and American Idol have cultivated, but now we have to watch them butcher music videos too? It was like watching that horrible show on MuchMusic where they give average people makeovers to look like singers and then remake a music video with them lip-syncing the song. At least Sue was awesome in the scene where she threatened to sue Mr. Schue after being injured in the "sex riot", and when she told Becky to be ready to make a citizen's arrest.
Running Wilde
I thought this week's episode was funnier than last week's. Good to see David Cross return, and I liked the running gag of Fa'ad seeming to subtly seduce everyone with his strange classy charms.
Survivor: Nicaragua
Whoever is editing these episodes together is making Naonka look like a cartoonish stereotype - not that she isn't, but I'm sure they're just throwing her worst moments together to make it look like she's like that all the time. So far I'm rooting for Jill on the old tribe, because she is one of the few people who hasn't said or done anything stupid yet.
Community
Drew Carey looks weird without all that weight. Good to see Rob Corddry though, I usually find him funny as the wild douchebag types he tends to play (as he did here). I suspect Chang has ulterior motives for wanting into the study group, which should be fun in a later episode when he finally makes it in.
30 Rock
The funniest part of Paul Giamatti's guest appearance was how the woman he had a crush on looked like she was from the '80's. Also enjoyed Jack's tapes to his future child and Kenneth wearing a Tracy mask (which actually fooled his drugged up wife). Season five is going well.
The Office
Michael trying to mess with Toby was fun, but it was kind of a nice moment when he made Toby laugh with his Gabe impression. I figured there was a good reason why Dwight wasn't allowed in that store, but I thought it would just be that he went during closing hours without realizing it. Hope Pam doesn't get busted. Pretty sure what she's doing is illegal.
Fringe
I liked this one better than last week's episode. I don't mind the weekly case formula as long as they include the continuing story as well, which they did. Now that Walter owns Massive Dynamic, maybe he can rein Nina in so she stops being so shady. Bonus irony points for shooting a deaf guy with a silenced weapon.
Hero of the Week: Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, for being voted "Most" in his class at Harvard Business School. Rock on, JD!
Douchebag of the Week: Alan (Rob Corddry) from Community, for ratting out Jeff back in the day, and Jeff still did him the favour of convincing Ted (Drew Carey) to make him partner. Not cool, man!
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