Heroes
Kudos to whoever cast old Charlie, because they managed to find an actress with the exact same eyes as Jayma Mays. It was a little eerie, actually. I figured it was going to be Doyle forcing Emma to play her cello. I don't know where they're going with the whole worldwide reveal thing, but I hope they don't copy X-Men too much. I can't believe the season is already over though, February is an odd time for a network show to end a season. But if NBC is going to end the series I think now would be a good time, because all of the loose ends are fairly wrapped up and it didn't really leave us with that big of a cliffhanger.
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I like how Heather interrupted Corrinda's "Last Egg" musical number. I thought we were going to get a big majestic number similar to the "Every Sperm is Sacred" song in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Dusty is one messed up detective, but taking the mayor's corpse fishing in the park in broad daylight was funny. Second victim: Heather Weather in the courtroom with a remote control, the killer's weapon of choice it seems. Too bad Rampop only sees people as butterflies and thus cannot identify the murderer.
Lost
I wonder if Dr. Ethan is still evil if he spent his whole life off the island. I think the torturing of Sayid might have been to test for the black smoke - we already know it doesn't like ash or electricity (the sonic fence). Not sure about the hot poker though... Maybe that was just testing for general pain sensitivity. For some reason it didn't even cross my mind that Claire had turned into Rousseau until I read other people saying it online, but it seems so obvious now with all of the traps, the rifle, and her dirty, wild look. That could be trouble.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
The idea of Coach and Jerri as a couple is vomit inducing. But perhaps they are perfect for each other for precisely that reason. Looks like Russell is already trying to start another "dumbass girl alliance" - his words, not mine. I think he might be voted out early this time though. Sounds like JT is planning to be a villain this time around, and maybe Tom as well. Probably a good idea though, because playing with past players puts you at a disadvantage in that everyone already knows who you are and how you play, so to escape that you gotta play differently.
Parks and Recreation
I'm glad April broke up with her gay boyfriends, not only because I support the idea of April and Andy as a couple, but because they were really only a funny gag once and their subsequent appearances mostly just involved snide remarks and insults that I didn't find funny at all.
The Office
Cool, they added Ed Helms to the opening credits! This was a fun episode - Michael has often been driven by greed in the past, but you would think he'd learn his lesson because it always seems to backfire on him. This week's episode reminded us (and him) of how spoiled he is as a manager with the perks of his own office and Erin catering to all of his unusual and ridiculous whims, so in the end it looks like Michael prefers power over money. He even referred to himself as "head salesman", which I'm pretty sure was made up to make himself feel better. I don't know why Andy can't tell Erin that he likes her, or even why she can't tell him. It's not as if it's a Jim/Pam situation, because they're both single. The dogs sure do love Andy's man meat though.
30 Rock
I liked the characterization in this episode - one or two lines about everyone's Valentine's plans really said a lot about them. Or reinforced, rather, because I don't think we learned anything new about anyone. Also it was fun to see Liz's three former boyfriends acting like black women due to her hallucinations. And Elizabeth Banks is always cool.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can put on a better play? I think they made it obvious that Kenny was going to win. Spenny's was a boring 16-act historical drama in which the judge could be seen playing with her phone near the end of it, and Kenny's was funny and made the judge laugh. The idea of a Jew who enjoys concentration camp is hilarious though.
Hero of the Week: Sugar from Survivor, for bringing her A game during the first reward challenge. Sandra tried to sabotage her by removing her top, but she ran for it anyway sans top, scored the point, then flipped Sandra the double bird. Awesome.
Douchebag of the Week: Jo Bennett from The Office, because even though she owns Dunder Mifflin now, I don't like her smarmy, condescending attitude.
Showing posts with label heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heroes. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
This Week in Television - Feb. 1-5, 2010
Heroes
The wall was high, but not so high that Peter and Sylar couldn't consider the possibility of climbing OVER it. There was a fence intersecting with it that was more than half the wall's height, they could have used that as a jumping off point. Oh wait, Peter only ever gets one idea at a time and sticks with it until he's played it out.
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
Hey, cool, a cameo by Colin Mochrie. There were some good gags in this episode, like the moron cops both being drunk and letting the mayor's wife use a hairdryer to pass her breathalyzer ignition test, and the jury duty form's questions about obesity, and the really crooked veterinarian taking advantage of the lawyer whose cat is in two different comas. Also enjoying the rivalry between Heather and Corinda.
Lost
Lost is the coolest and most epic show on television right now, so you can imagine how excited I am that it is back after an excruciating 8 month hiatus. I had a feeling that instead of showing us one outcome or another, they would show us both because I'd heard the show was going in a new direction, and that's exactly what happened. The premiere had me grinning big time - I love those "WTF is going on?" moments. What I can't figure out is why they're bothering to show us two alternate timelines. I mean it's really cool to see, but I just don't know how they will fit together yet. But I do think that Sayid may now be possessed by Jacob so that he can battle "Flocke" with his soldier kung fu.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Okay, now that I've discussed the Heroes Tribe, let's take a look at the Villains.
-Tyson Apostol: Tyson can be arrogant and cold, but he's also funny so I don't mind him too much. I can potentially see him sticking around for a bit because he has a cunning, sneaky side.
-Randy Bailey: I actually kind of pity Randy. He's grumpy, mean, and seems to hate literally all people. I don't even know why he auditioned for Survivor, but I imagine he came back to get revenge on Sugar or something.
-Sandra Diaz-Twine: What I remember about Sandra is that she won her season by staying under the radar and doing a lot of eavesdropping from the bushes. That seems like a really obvious and straightforward thing to do but surprisingly no one else has ever used the "hide and listen" tactic to the extent that Sandra has.
-Danielle DiLorenzo: I barely remember Danielle. I even forgot that she came in second the first time around. But I think I can recall her being less than smart.
-Russell Hantz: As I blogged about him last season, Russell is one of the most arrogant players ever and I can see this guy coming back for every single All-Stars season until he wins. I think he'll have to work harder this time around though, because he's playing with veterans.
-Jerri Manthey: At this point I can't even remember why Jerri was such a villain back in the day, but I still have a general dislike for her because at the very least she comes off as an attention whore refusing to give up her 15 minutes of fame.
-"Boston Rob" Mariano: Boston Rob was certainly a power player on the All-Stars season, helping his future wife Amber to win the whole thing, but this season is going to have a LOT of power players, and I have no clue who will emerge as the main vote decider.
-Parvati Shallow: I hate Parvati, and I can say that her surname is highly appropriate. She acts like a conceited high school girl and I don't believe she really did anything to deserve her Fans vs. Favourites win.
-Benjamin "Coach" Wade: I also hate Coach, because he is one of the most self-absorbed idiots to play the game. His interests include: boasting about all of the wild things he's done and the multiple times he narrowly escaped death; pretending he's a samurai; constantly talking about warriors and dragonslayers; and claiming that he never lies when most of the stuff he says is too ridiculous to be true.
-Courtney Yates: Courtney isn't really that much of a villain, it's mostly that she's sarcastic and sharp-tongued. But she had some funny comments along the way and even won a challenge due to being incredibly scrawny. I can see her getting along well with Tyson.
Fringe
Olivia should have seen Peter glimmering right away when she first got scared, but I guess it was more appropriate for the writers to have it happen at the end of the episode. That almost-kiss has been a long time coming though, given the sexual tension between them. Cool episode. The best Fringe episodes are the ones that deal with the continuing story.
Parks and Recreation
Tom was hilarious in this episode with his snazzy costume changes, room-sized walk-in closet, and, of course, DJ Roomba. And so was Ron, who hand-crafted a harp while drunk and then took photos of himself making it to prove his judgment wasn't impaired.
The Office
I don't know why nobody knows how to pronounce "sabre" properly, but it sure makes for a funny song when you have to mess up the rhyme scheme in the middle of singing it. Jim and Pam really shouldn't have brought up the bathroom thing - it was clear from the rest of the tour and interview that the guy was already willing to forget it and move on.
30 Rock
I love 30 Rock, but I have to admit I've never liked Jenna. She's too much of a one-note character and 9 times out of 10 I find her more annoying than funny. So I wasn't really a fan of the story about Jenna and her mother, except when Jack was involved. Because Jack Donaghy is never not awesome.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can make a better commercial? Kenny's commercials were really, really funny, but as the judges said, Spenny's was a little more on topic because he actually gave information about the product. And submitted forged market research documents. I wonder if Spenny will cheat more often now. I'm not sure how I feel about that because then every episode will just become "Who is a better cheater?".
Hero of the Week: Christian Slater, guest starring on The Office. If he was back there, he'd know what to do.
Douchebag of the Week: Jerry from Parks and Recreation, because he killed DJ Roomba. HE WAS LIKE A SON TO TOM!
The wall was high, but not so high that Peter and Sylar couldn't consider the possibility of climbing OVER it. There was a fence intersecting with it that was more than half the wall's height, they could have used that as a jumping off point. Oh wait, Peter only ever gets one idea at a time and sticks with it until he's played it out.
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
Hey, cool, a cameo by Colin Mochrie. There were some good gags in this episode, like the moron cops both being drunk and letting the mayor's wife use a hairdryer to pass her breathalyzer ignition test, and the jury duty form's questions about obesity, and the really crooked veterinarian taking advantage of the lawyer whose cat is in two different comas. Also enjoying the rivalry between Heather and Corinda.
Lost
Lost is the coolest and most epic show on television right now, so you can imagine how excited I am that it is back after an excruciating 8 month hiatus. I had a feeling that instead of showing us one outcome or another, they would show us both because I'd heard the show was going in a new direction, and that's exactly what happened. The premiere had me grinning big time - I love those "WTF is going on?" moments. What I can't figure out is why they're bothering to show us two alternate timelines. I mean it's really cool to see, but I just don't know how they will fit together yet. But I do think that Sayid may now be possessed by Jacob so that he can battle "Flocke" with his soldier kung fu.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Okay, now that I've discussed the Heroes Tribe, let's take a look at the Villains.
-Tyson Apostol: Tyson can be arrogant and cold, but he's also funny so I don't mind him too much. I can potentially see him sticking around for a bit because he has a cunning, sneaky side.
-Randy Bailey: I actually kind of pity Randy. He's grumpy, mean, and seems to hate literally all people. I don't even know why he auditioned for Survivor, but I imagine he came back to get revenge on Sugar or something.
-Sandra Diaz-Twine: What I remember about Sandra is that she won her season by staying under the radar and doing a lot of eavesdropping from the bushes. That seems like a really obvious and straightforward thing to do but surprisingly no one else has ever used the "hide and listen" tactic to the extent that Sandra has.
-Danielle DiLorenzo: I barely remember Danielle. I even forgot that she came in second the first time around. But I think I can recall her being less than smart.
-Russell Hantz: As I blogged about him last season, Russell is one of the most arrogant players ever and I can see this guy coming back for every single All-Stars season until he wins. I think he'll have to work harder this time around though, because he's playing with veterans.
-Jerri Manthey: At this point I can't even remember why Jerri was such a villain back in the day, but I still have a general dislike for her because at the very least she comes off as an attention whore refusing to give up her 15 minutes of fame.
-"Boston Rob" Mariano: Boston Rob was certainly a power player on the All-Stars season, helping his future wife Amber to win the whole thing, but this season is going to have a LOT of power players, and I have no clue who will emerge as the main vote decider.
-Parvati Shallow: I hate Parvati, and I can say that her surname is highly appropriate. She acts like a conceited high school girl and I don't believe she really did anything to deserve her Fans vs. Favourites win.
-Benjamin "Coach" Wade: I also hate Coach, because he is one of the most self-absorbed idiots to play the game. His interests include: boasting about all of the wild things he's done and the multiple times he narrowly escaped death; pretending he's a samurai; constantly talking about warriors and dragonslayers; and claiming that he never lies when most of the stuff he says is too ridiculous to be true.
-Courtney Yates: Courtney isn't really that much of a villain, it's mostly that she's sarcastic and sharp-tongued. But she had some funny comments along the way and even won a challenge due to being incredibly scrawny. I can see her getting along well with Tyson.
Fringe
Olivia should have seen Peter glimmering right away when she first got scared, but I guess it was more appropriate for the writers to have it happen at the end of the episode. That almost-kiss has been a long time coming though, given the sexual tension between them. Cool episode. The best Fringe episodes are the ones that deal with the continuing story.
Parks and Recreation
Tom was hilarious in this episode with his snazzy costume changes, room-sized walk-in closet, and, of course, DJ Roomba. And so was Ron, who hand-crafted a harp while drunk and then took photos of himself making it to prove his judgment wasn't impaired.
The Office
I don't know why nobody knows how to pronounce "sabre" properly, but it sure makes for a funny song when you have to mess up the rhyme scheme in the middle of singing it. Jim and Pam really shouldn't have brought up the bathroom thing - it was clear from the rest of the tour and interview that the guy was already willing to forget it and move on.
30 Rock
I love 30 Rock, but I have to admit I've never liked Jenna. She's too much of a one-note character and 9 times out of 10 I find her more annoying than funny. So I wasn't really a fan of the story about Jenna and her mother, except when Jack was involved. Because Jack Donaghy is never not awesome.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can make a better commercial? Kenny's commercials were really, really funny, but as the judges said, Spenny's was a little more on topic because he actually gave information about the product. And submitted forged market research documents. I wonder if Spenny will cheat more often now. I'm not sure how I feel about that because then every episode will just become "Who is a better cheater?".
Hero of the Week: Christian Slater, guest starring on The Office. If he was back there, he'd know what to do.
Douchebag of the Week: Jerry from Parks and Recreation, because he killed DJ Roomba. HE WAS LIKE A SON TO TOM!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
This Week in Television - Jan. 25-29, 2010
Heroes
Hey, Peter, did it ever occur to you that instead of releasing a dangerous mass murderer to save lives, you could just, oh I don't know, ask Emma not to play the cello? Seems like one of those options is 50 billion times easier and safer than the other. Although in the dream, Emma looked kind of distraught so someone was probably forcing her to do it. But still, Peter should have made an attempt to explore other options before jumping right into the worst one. Also, Sylar already went through a period where he didn't have his powers and it didn't make him any less evil, so why does he think it will work this time?
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I like the gag where a video is shown of the mayor reading his will, but not aloud. I wonder where Ricky is going to fit into all of this, being that he is a shut-in and doesn't really interact with the other characters. Unless he's going to get off the couch and exercise like he promised. Rampop is kind of disturbing in a Children of the Corn way.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Survivor doesn't come back for another two weeks, but since this is a special season with past competitors returning, I thought I would post my opinions on each contestant. I'll discuss the Heroes tribe this week and the Villains next week.
-Rupert Boneham: Rupert was a cool guy and all the viewers seemed to love him, but he has competed twice and was knocked into the jury both times. I don't know if he is enough of a strategist to get any further than he has before, but he might make it to the jury again just because he is likable and useful at camp.
-James Clement: James is a nice guy and the ladies love to look at him, but he's not necessarily a power player.
-Colby Donaldson: Colby performed well the first time he competed, dominating challenges and coming in second, but then when he returned for All-Stars, he got cocky and was voted out early. I'm not sure if I like him and his success could go either way.
-Cirie Fields: I like Cirie. I've always found her kind of funny and endearing, and while she hasn't been very good in challenges I do think she is a cunning and persuasive strategist, and that got her far both times she's competed.
-Amanda Kimmel: Amanda is a record holder, being the only person in Survivor history to make it to the final tribal council twice. However, she has never gotten a single jury vote. I don't understand this because I think Amanda is one of the most deserving players in the game - she's made several genius strategic moves, has proven capable of winning challenges, and doesn't seem like a bad person at all. I'll be rooting for her again this time around.
-Jessica "Sugar" Kiper: Apparently Sugar was extremely annoying to the other survivors, but the viewers loved her. I remember I didn't think much of her at first, but by the end of the game she stood out as a strategist despite appearing dumb at first glance.
-Stephanie LaGrossa: Stephanie was a true survivor, being the only person on the show to ever be part of a one-person tribe. I think that's what made viewers like her more than her personality, although she's kind of cool too, I guess.
-J.T. Thomas: J.T. was a solid all-around competitor and a good guy, plus he won his original season. However these things can also be weaknesses because everyone else knows to watch out for him.
-Tom Westman: I don't even remember that much about Tom's personality, except that he won the season and also a few challenges.
-Candice Woodcock: I hate Candice, and she does not deserve to be on the Heroes team. I have two reasons why: a) When survivors were given an opportunity to ditch their tribe and join the other team, she took it, Jonathan Penner followed her, and then she later blasted him for being a traitor; and b) at the final tribal council, she asked finalist Yul an incredibly biased question and forced him to answer in such a way that no matter what he said it made him look like a liar. Candice is an idiot.
Fringe
Wow, Walter came off rather villainous at the end of this one. But I do like that he pointed out the elephant in the room, which is the looming sexual tension between Peter and Olivia. I kind of hope they don't get together, only because it's such a predictable staple to include a romance subplot in EVERYTHING, but on the other hand they probably would make a good couple. BEWARE THE HITLER TOXIN!
Kenny vs. Spenny
For the first time in history, this episode had no competition. Although at first I thought it was going to be something like "Who can start a competition first?" because Spenny kept naming all these new competitions. But as I watched it I started to feel a little dissatisfied with the season as a whole so far. The show is almost turning into a gimmick and it's become "The Kenny Show" now, and not just because he's been winning them all (although the competitions are much less exciting when you know Kenny has at least an 80% chance every time). It's no longer about competing, now it's more about what Kenny will get away with and what crazy loophole or scheme he'll exploit this week. I don't say this as an attack on Kenny's character, he is clearly a funny and entertaining guy, it's just that they have let him take over the show. I started watching Kenny vs. Spenny because it was a new thing and I thought a show about crazy competitions was an awesome idea, but the show rarely captures the true spirit of competition anymore. I wonder how many Kenny would win if he actually played fairly.
Hero of the Week: Matt Parkman from Heroes, who pulled a fast one on Sylar and trapped him inside his own brain and then proceeded to wall up his body in the basement, brick by brick.
Douchebag of the Week: Peter Petrelli from Heroes, for trying to undo Parkman's awesome handiwork. Nice job, dick.
Hey, Peter, did it ever occur to you that instead of releasing a dangerous mass murderer to save lives, you could just, oh I don't know, ask Emma not to play the cello? Seems like one of those options is 50 billion times easier and safer than the other. Although in the dream, Emma looked kind of distraught so someone was probably forcing her to do it. But still, Peter should have made an attempt to explore other options before jumping right into the worst one. Also, Sylar already went through a period where he didn't have his powers and it didn't make him any less evil, so why does he think it will work this time?
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I like the gag where a video is shown of the mayor reading his will, but not aloud. I wonder where Ricky is going to fit into all of this, being that he is a shut-in and doesn't really interact with the other characters. Unless he's going to get off the couch and exercise like he promised. Rampop is kind of disturbing in a Children of the Corn way.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Survivor doesn't come back for another two weeks, but since this is a special season with past competitors returning, I thought I would post my opinions on each contestant. I'll discuss the Heroes tribe this week and the Villains next week.
-Rupert Boneham: Rupert was a cool guy and all the viewers seemed to love him, but he has competed twice and was knocked into the jury both times. I don't know if he is enough of a strategist to get any further than he has before, but he might make it to the jury again just because he is likable and useful at camp.
-James Clement: James is a nice guy and the ladies love to look at him, but he's not necessarily a power player.
-Colby Donaldson: Colby performed well the first time he competed, dominating challenges and coming in second, but then when he returned for All-Stars, he got cocky and was voted out early. I'm not sure if I like him and his success could go either way.
-Cirie Fields: I like Cirie. I've always found her kind of funny and endearing, and while she hasn't been very good in challenges I do think she is a cunning and persuasive strategist, and that got her far both times she's competed.
-Amanda Kimmel: Amanda is a record holder, being the only person in Survivor history to make it to the final tribal council twice. However, she has never gotten a single jury vote. I don't understand this because I think Amanda is one of the most deserving players in the game - she's made several genius strategic moves, has proven capable of winning challenges, and doesn't seem like a bad person at all. I'll be rooting for her again this time around.
-Jessica "Sugar" Kiper: Apparently Sugar was extremely annoying to the other survivors, but the viewers loved her. I remember I didn't think much of her at first, but by the end of the game she stood out as a strategist despite appearing dumb at first glance.
-Stephanie LaGrossa: Stephanie was a true survivor, being the only person on the show to ever be part of a one-person tribe. I think that's what made viewers like her more than her personality, although she's kind of cool too, I guess.
-J.T. Thomas: J.T. was a solid all-around competitor and a good guy, plus he won his original season. However these things can also be weaknesses because everyone else knows to watch out for him.
-Tom Westman: I don't even remember that much about Tom's personality, except that he won the season and also a few challenges.
-Candice Woodcock: I hate Candice, and she does not deserve to be on the Heroes team. I have two reasons why: a) When survivors were given an opportunity to ditch their tribe and join the other team, she took it, Jonathan Penner followed her, and then she later blasted him for being a traitor; and b) at the final tribal council, she asked finalist Yul an incredibly biased question and forced him to answer in such a way that no matter what he said it made him look like a liar. Candice is an idiot.
Fringe
Wow, Walter came off rather villainous at the end of this one. But I do like that he pointed out the elephant in the room, which is the looming sexual tension between Peter and Olivia. I kind of hope they don't get together, only because it's such a predictable staple to include a romance subplot in EVERYTHING, but on the other hand they probably would make a good couple. BEWARE THE HITLER TOXIN!
Kenny vs. Spenny
For the first time in history, this episode had no competition. Although at first I thought it was going to be something like "Who can start a competition first?" because Spenny kept naming all these new competitions. But as I watched it I started to feel a little dissatisfied with the season as a whole so far. The show is almost turning into a gimmick and it's become "The Kenny Show" now, and not just because he's been winning them all (although the competitions are much less exciting when you know Kenny has at least an 80% chance every time). It's no longer about competing, now it's more about what Kenny will get away with and what crazy loophole or scheme he'll exploit this week. I don't say this as an attack on Kenny's character, he is clearly a funny and entertaining guy, it's just that they have let him take over the show. I started watching Kenny vs. Spenny because it was a new thing and I thought a show about crazy competitions was an awesome idea, but the show rarely captures the true spirit of competition anymore. I wonder how many Kenny would win if he actually played fairly.
Hero of the Week: Matt Parkman from Heroes, who pulled a fast one on Sylar and trapped him inside his own brain and then proceeded to wall up his body in the basement, brick by brick.
Douchebag of the Week: Peter Petrelli from Heroes, for trying to undo Parkman's awesome handiwork. Nice job, dick.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
This Week in Television - Jan. 18-22, 2010
Heroes
Hiro's diner hallucination trial featuring some dead folks was a cool idea. I thought his lawyer should have been Isaac Mendes at first just so they could get another dead guy in there, but then they used Ando. I guess that makes more sense. But it doesn't make sense that his mother could heal him in a hallucination, and if it was a purgatory deal and not a hallucination then it doesn't make sense for Ando to be there. But whatever, I'm down with Hiro not dying. When Sylar was given his Claire tattoo I thought he was going to start wooing her romantically since they're both immortal and they wouldn't be alone that way. Would have been funny, but I guess he's not into college chicks.
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I like how the two cops are so incompetent that they accuse each other of murdering the mayor and then a videotape has to remind them that they were on duty together at the time of the murder (which was inexplicably determined by the bald detective). I also find it funny that Heather Weather wants so badly to be the breaking news reporter but has no clue how to report on anything except the weather. For a minute at the end, I thought Death was just going to keep killing off Bruce McCulloch characters.
Fringe
This was actually an intense episode, which was perfect because the concept wasn't as mindblowing as in some of the other episodes (I'm not really a fan of the whole "deadly virus" plot incarnation). The last time an ally turned on Olivia, it was "Flancis" and she shot him outright, but that was a more deadly situation because this time she knew Peter could be cured. I also like those moments where Walter is desperate and fragile, because all those times when he gets excited about science and food, we sometimes forget how much he loves his son.
Parks and Recreation
The best part of the episode was Ron's plans to show up at Leslie's dinner party with a large quantity of deviled eggs and not have to share them with anyone. I think he is becoming my favourite character. I can understand why the guys don't like Justin: there is a fine line between being a fascinating man and constantly telling exotic stories to show off how interesting you are. I mean it's cool if you've experienced a ton of amazing things, but it makes you look like a douche if you bring it up every time you open your mouth.
The Office
Um, okay, I wasn't expecting a clip show. Especially not in the middle of the season. I get that it is their way of saying goodbye to the old Dunder-Mifflin, but it felt more like something they should have done for the series finale or something. But the frame story was funny and I like that they did it via an interview with Toby.
30 Rock
Julianne Moore's back! At least she got some funnier stuff to do this time. I have a feeling that Dale Snitterman could soon become a popular meme for everything that goes wrong with everything.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can have more fun? Whenever they do a competition like this, the victory can be considered questionable because the competition concept is abstract and hard to judge. I mean even for a sadist, is torturing someone more fun than partying on a boat with some hot bikini girls (which Kenny would also love)? It's all relative.
NEW FEATURE
I think the rating thing was kind of boring, so I have a new idea: Every week, I will pick two characters from the shows watched. One will be "Hero of the week", the character who has done the funniest or coolest thing in their respective episode, and one will be "Douchebag of the week", the character who has pissed me off or done something I don't approve of. This week's winners are:
Hero of the Week: Our very first hero of the week goes to Ron Swanson of Parks and Recreation, because as I have mentioned, I love when he shows up at events just for the food. Attaboy, Duke Silver.
Douchebag of the Week: Dale Snitterman from 30 Rock. Because he's a bastard.
Hiro's diner hallucination trial featuring some dead folks was a cool idea. I thought his lawyer should have been Isaac Mendes at first just so they could get another dead guy in there, but then they used Ando. I guess that makes more sense. But it doesn't make sense that his mother could heal him in a hallucination, and if it was a purgatory deal and not a hallucination then it doesn't make sense for Ando to be there. But whatever, I'm down with Hiro not dying. When Sylar was given his Claire tattoo I thought he was going to start wooing her romantically since they're both immortal and they wouldn't be alone that way. Would have been funny, but I guess he's not into college chicks.
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I like how the two cops are so incompetent that they accuse each other of murdering the mayor and then a videotape has to remind them that they were on duty together at the time of the murder (which was inexplicably determined by the bald detective). I also find it funny that Heather Weather wants so badly to be the breaking news reporter but has no clue how to report on anything except the weather. For a minute at the end, I thought Death was just going to keep killing off Bruce McCulloch characters.
Fringe
This was actually an intense episode, which was perfect because the concept wasn't as mindblowing as in some of the other episodes (I'm not really a fan of the whole "deadly virus" plot incarnation). The last time an ally turned on Olivia, it was "Flancis" and she shot him outright, but that was a more deadly situation because this time she knew Peter could be cured. I also like those moments where Walter is desperate and fragile, because all those times when he gets excited about science and food, we sometimes forget how much he loves his son.
Parks and Recreation
The best part of the episode was Ron's plans to show up at Leslie's dinner party with a large quantity of deviled eggs and not have to share them with anyone. I think he is becoming my favourite character. I can understand why the guys don't like Justin: there is a fine line between being a fascinating man and constantly telling exotic stories to show off how interesting you are. I mean it's cool if you've experienced a ton of amazing things, but it makes you look like a douche if you bring it up every time you open your mouth.
The Office
Um, okay, I wasn't expecting a clip show. Especially not in the middle of the season. I get that it is their way of saying goodbye to the old Dunder-Mifflin, but it felt more like something they should have done for the series finale or something. But the frame story was funny and I like that they did it via an interview with Toby.
30 Rock
Julianne Moore's back! At least she got some funnier stuff to do this time. I have a feeling that Dale Snitterman could soon become a popular meme for everything that goes wrong with everything.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can have more fun? Whenever they do a competition like this, the victory can be considered questionable because the competition concept is abstract and hard to judge. I mean even for a sadist, is torturing someone more fun than partying on a boat with some hot bikini girls (which Kenny would also love)? It's all relative.
NEW FEATURE
I think the rating thing was kind of boring, so I have a new idea: Every week, I will pick two characters from the shows watched. One will be "Hero of the week", the character who has done the funniest or coolest thing in their respective episode, and one will be "Douchebag of the week", the character who has pissed me off or done something I don't approve of. This week's winners are:
Hero of the Week: Our very first hero of the week goes to Ron Swanson of Parks and Recreation, because as I have mentioned, I love when he shows up at events just for the food. Attaboy, Duke Silver.
Douchebag of the Week: Dale Snitterman from 30 Rock. Because he's a bastard.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
This Week in Television - Jan. 11-15, 2010
Heroes
Geez, Peter, you could have explained things to Emma first and THEN smashed her cello. Since when is Peter the "shoot first, ask questions later" type? Fun Fact: Inspector Gadget also plays the cello!
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I always thought of Kids in the Hall as the Canadian Monty Python, the way the castmembers play every character they can, including the women. The tradition continues here, except this time it's a linear series rather than sketch comedy. It reminded me of the group's only film, Brain Candy, which is to say that it is kind of amusing but not as funny as the original sketch comedy series. The best part of the episode was the Mayor of Shuckton, played by Bruce McCulloch (who was always one of the funniest castmembers), and unfortunately Death took him down. I liked their take on Death though, having Mark McKinney portray him as a kind of seedy junkie who turns departed souls into dust and then snorts it. I didn't laugh out loud much during the episode, but I was definitely amused and entertained, so I'm going to keep watching, if only because it's nice to have The Kids back.
Fringe
Two episodes this week. The first was an unaired episode from season one, and it was actually a little dull so I won't say anything else about it, except that it was cool that they decided to air it. The second was much cooler - I like the idea of altering everyone's perception of something instead of altering the thing itself. As I said before, the second season has been awesome and most of the episodes have just been knocking it out of the park in terms of cool ideas and continuing storylines.
Parks and Recreation
I didn't even know Will Arnett was going to be in this episode, so that was a cool surprise. Ron's storyline was also fun, because the combination of the name Jean-Ralphio with that ridiculous hairstyle and Tom's personality equals comedy gold.
30 Rock
Double 30 Rock this week too! James Franco and his Japanese body pillow were funny, although also kind of sad because it's based on reality - I've heard there actually are some lonely guys out there who are very much in love with those things. Kenneth trying to work a computer was hilarious (it's not THAT easy to accidentally take a picture of yourself and then accidentally make it the desktop wallpaper and send it to everyone in the address book). Most of the time I find Jenna's character more annoying than funny, and she was mostly annoying in this episode too, except when filming her scene on Gossip Girl where she died of old age at 41 and was recalling all of the things she's experienced in her "long" lifetime, like Windows 95. And yes, Kenneth's haircut is an insult to lesbians.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who do black guys like more (part 2)? Well, I was right about Kenny's plan, but I thought Spenny was going to win it. I wasn't expecting the video footage to look as incriminating as it did, and I think Spenny may have helped it by going overboard in his KKK roleplay. I do like that the one guy said he was choosing Kenny not because of the video, but because just hanging out was more fun than Spenny's "racial retreat", which is exactly what I said last week.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Geez, Peter, you could have explained things to Emma first and THEN smashed her cello. Since when is Peter the "shoot first, ask questions later" type? Fun Fact: Inspector Gadget also plays the cello!
Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town
I always thought of Kids in the Hall as the Canadian Monty Python, the way the castmembers play every character they can, including the women. The tradition continues here, except this time it's a linear series rather than sketch comedy. It reminded me of the group's only film, Brain Candy, which is to say that it is kind of amusing but not as funny as the original sketch comedy series. The best part of the episode was the Mayor of Shuckton, played by Bruce McCulloch (who was always one of the funniest castmembers), and unfortunately Death took him down. I liked their take on Death though, having Mark McKinney portray him as a kind of seedy junkie who turns departed souls into dust and then snorts it. I didn't laugh out loud much during the episode, but I was definitely amused and entertained, so I'm going to keep watching, if only because it's nice to have The Kids back.
Fringe
Two episodes this week. The first was an unaired episode from season one, and it was actually a little dull so I won't say anything else about it, except that it was cool that they decided to air it. The second was much cooler - I like the idea of altering everyone's perception of something instead of altering the thing itself. As I said before, the second season has been awesome and most of the episodes have just been knocking it out of the park in terms of cool ideas and continuing storylines.
Parks and Recreation
I didn't even know Will Arnett was going to be in this episode, so that was a cool surprise. Ron's storyline was also fun, because the combination of the name Jean-Ralphio with that ridiculous hairstyle and Tom's personality equals comedy gold.
30 Rock
Double 30 Rock this week too! James Franco and his Japanese body pillow were funny, although also kind of sad because it's based on reality - I've heard there actually are some lonely guys out there who are very much in love with those things. Kenneth trying to work a computer was hilarious (it's not THAT easy to accidentally take a picture of yourself and then accidentally make it the desktop wallpaper and send it to everyone in the address book). Most of the time I find Jenna's character more annoying than funny, and she was mostly annoying in this episode too, except when filming her scene on Gossip Girl where she died of old age at 41 and was recalling all of the things she's experienced in her "long" lifetime, like Windows 95. And yes, Kenneth's haircut is an insult to lesbians.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who do black guys like more (part 2)? Well, I was right about Kenny's plan, but I thought Spenny was going to win it. I wasn't expecting the video footage to look as incriminating as it did, and I think Spenny may have helped it by going overboard in his KKK roleplay. I do like that the one guy said he was choosing Kenny not because of the video, but because just hanging out was more fun than Spenny's "racial retreat", which is exactly what I said last week.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
This Week in Television - Jan. 4-8, 2010
Heroes
Sometimes watching Heroes is like watching someone play a turn-based RPG: whenever someone attacks someone, their target just stands there and lets it happen, and if they're able to retaliate they wait until the enemy's attack is over to do it. I don't mind that in video games but it's a problem on TV. Hiro speaking only in pop culture references reminded me of a patient on House who had a problem that made him say weird word combinations but he thought he was speaking normally. Maybe Hiro should teleport into Dr. House's office for help on that one. Kind of glad that Nathan's finally dead. Really his only contribution to the show was constantly putting his hand on Peter's shoulder and calling him Pete all the time.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who do black guys like more (Part One)? For the first time we have a two part episode. I don't know why the competition needs to be that long, but whatever. This episode was basically all Spenny's day with the black guys. At first I thought he was blowing it, because he spent the whole time talking about race, and even though he was saying positive things I think bringing it up at all still kind of makes it an issue. My strategy would just be to hang out with them like normal guys and not even talk about race, but they seemed to respond to him very well so I guess it worked. In the preview for next week it looks like Kenny is purposely offending them, but I think I have figured out his plan: he's going to use footage from this episode and edit together footage of Spenny yelling at Kenny-as-black-maid cleaning the toilet with footage of the actual black cleaning lady that Kenny got to clean the toilet, and he will show it to the black guys to make Spenny look like a racist monster. I think he's hoping that the black guys will be more offended by Spenny's supposed deceit than his own upfront douchebaggery. I think Spenny will win though, just because he's due by now. Let's check back next week to see if I'm right!
Overall rating for this week's shows: B
Sometimes watching Heroes is like watching someone play a turn-based RPG: whenever someone attacks someone, their target just stands there and lets it happen, and if they're able to retaliate they wait until the enemy's attack is over to do it. I don't mind that in video games but it's a problem on TV. Hiro speaking only in pop culture references reminded me of a patient on House who had a problem that made him say weird word combinations but he thought he was speaking normally. Maybe Hiro should teleport into Dr. House's office for help on that one. Kind of glad that Nathan's finally dead. Really his only contribution to the show was constantly putting his hand on Peter's shoulder and calling him Pete all the time.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who do black guys like more (Part One)? For the first time we have a two part episode. I don't know why the competition needs to be that long, but whatever. This episode was basically all Spenny's day with the black guys. At first I thought he was blowing it, because he spent the whole time talking about race, and even though he was saying positive things I think bringing it up at all still kind of makes it an issue. My strategy would just be to hang out with them like normal guys and not even talk about race, but they seemed to respond to him very well so I guess it worked. In the preview for next week it looks like Kenny is purposely offending them, but I think I have figured out his plan: he's going to use footage from this episode and edit together footage of Spenny yelling at Kenny-as-black-maid cleaning the toilet with footage of the actual black cleaning lady that Kenny got to clean the toilet, and he will show it to the black guys to make Spenny look like a racist monster. I think he's hoping that the black guys will be more offended by Spenny's supposed deceit than his own upfront douchebaggery. I think Spenny will win though, just because he's due by now. Let's check back next week to see if I'm right!
Overall rating for this week's shows: B
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
This Week in Television - Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2009
Heroes
It seems out of character that Claire would want a normal life so badly that she would turn her back on her family to join the carnival. It was kind of cool the way Nathan turned back into Sylar as he fell. I didn't find Nathan that likable or interesting anyway.
Glee
I don't care much for most of the characters on Glee, but Schuster's wife is my least favourite so I hope she is finally getting the axe. What kind of mattress store sells those GINORMOUS mattresses that are big enough for like 10-20 people to sleep comfortably? Lol, Sue had her tear ducts removed because she "wasn't usin' 'em". Awesome.
Survivor: Samoa
When John bought that immunity idol clue at the auction, at first I thought it was a waste, but then I realized that he was really buying the knowledge that Russell has it. Not a bad idea. It didn't help him though.
Fringe
Poor Walter. He can't be independent because it's just not in his nature anymore. Also Astrid is the most dedicated lab assistant ever.
Parks and Recreation
I love how dumb Andy is. He's not trying to win Anne back because he's persistent, but because for no reason whatsoever he thinks she still loves him. I also love Ron's growing pattern of only showing up at events for the food.
The Office
I liked the juxtaposing of Dwight trying to sabotage Jim with Michael breaking his promise to the kids. I don't know why everyone was so willing to believe Jim being sneaky though - they've worked with him for years and should know by now that he's not the type to do something like that. Michael, yes, but not Jim. The best part was Dwight doing his impressions of Kevin, Stanley, and Toby over the phone.
30 Rock
This episode had one of the most hilariously disturbing endings on 30 Rock: Liz crying out of her mouth while Frank, rocking the Liz look, kisses her on the cheek. Bizarre, but funny. Fun fact: Mel Brooks is also an EGOT winner.
Flash Forward
When Janis told Simon that the satellite photo had been taken in 1991 and then they cut to commercial, the musical cue was terrible. They might as well have had some guy yell "PLOT TWIST!" at the top of his lungs because it was just that prominent. Musical cues are usually supposed to be subtle. I wonder if Mark really shot Demetri or if they just jumped to that conclusion because it was his gun. And if Lloyd and Simon really did cause the blackout (which I don't believe they did), that doesn't mean they caused the flash forwards, so I don't see what the big deal is.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can get further [sexually] with the other one's mother? Niether of their mothers was a whore so it wasn't really an easy one. Spenny actually copped a lot of feels and stuff before pissing off Kenny's mom. I thought he might win because Kenny was spending most of his time making bestiality jokes about Spenny's mom.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
It seems out of character that Claire would want a normal life so badly that she would turn her back on her family to join the carnival. It was kind of cool the way Nathan turned back into Sylar as he fell. I didn't find Nathan that likable or interesting anyway.
Glee
I don't care much for most of the characters on Glee, but Schuster's wife is my least favourite so I hope she is finally getting the axe. What kind of mattress store sells those GINORMOUS mattresses that are big enough for like 10-20 people to sleep comfortably? Lol, Sue had her tear ducts removed because she "wasn't usin' 'em". Awesome.
Survivor: Samoa
When John bought that immunity idol clue at the auction, at first I thought it was a waste, but then I realized that he was really buying the knowledge that Russell has it. Not a bad idea. It didn't help him though.
Fringe
Poor Walter. He can't be independent because it's just not in his nature anymore. Also Astrid is the most dedicated lab assistant ever.
Parks and Recreation
I love how dumb Andy is. He's not trying to win Anne back because he's persistent, but because for no reason whatsoever he thinks she still loves him. I also love Ron's growing pattern of only showing up at events for the food.
The Office
I liked the juxtaposing of Dwight trying to sabotage Jim with Michael breaking his promise to the kids. I don't know why everyone was so willing to believe Jim being sneaky though - they've worked with him for years and should know by now that he's not the type to do something like that. Michael, yes, but not Jim. The best part was Dwight doing his impressions of Kevin, Stanley, and Toby over the phone.
30 Rock
This episode had one of the most hilariously disturbing endings on 30 Rock: Liz crying out of her mouth while Frank, rocking the Liz look, kisses her on the cheek. Bizarre, but funny. Fun fact: Mel Brooks is also an EGOT winner.
Flash Forward
When Janis told Simon that the satellite photo had been taken in 1991 and then they cut to commercial, the musical cue was terrible. They might as well have had some guy yell "PLOT TWIST!" at the top of his lungs because it was just that prominent. Musical cues are usually supposed to be subtle. I wonder if Mark really shot Demetri or if they just jumped to that conclusion because it was his gun. And if Lloyd and Simon really did cause the blackout (which I don't believe they did), that doesn't mean they caused the flash forwards, so I don't see what the big deal is.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can get further [sexually] with the other one's mother? Niether of their mothers was a whore so it wasn't really an easy one. Spenny actually copped a lot of feels and stuff before pissing off Kenny's mom. I thought he might win because Kenny was spending most of his time making bestiality jokes about Spenny's mom.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
This Week in Television - Nov. 23-27, 2009
Short week due to the American Thanksgiving on Thursday.
Heroes
Wow, Doug is a pretentious tool. I guess Sandra wanted the exact opposite of Noah. Sylar giving Angela the kiss of death made me laugh because it was so creepy. I don't think the dude with the dreadlocks necessarily has the same power that the Haitian does, because when he was done with Hiro, he hadn't forgotten anything. He still knew he had to escape and rescue someone, he was just confused about who that was. So I guess his power is... confusion?
V
The ending was cool, when they showed more ships coming. Hilarious pattern I noticed: every episode has a scene where Ryan hugs his human girlfriend and he makes an "Oh crap, I hope she doesn't find out I'm a V" face over her shoulder.
Glee
Only saw some of the episode, but I don't think I was missing much. Looked like it was mostly about Quinn's baby.
Survivor: Samoa
Clip show this week.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can keep a chicken coop on their head the longest? I like when they do these competitions that are really out there. This one was probably more entertaining than funny though, except when Kenny was basically doing a stand-up routine on abortion.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B
Heroes
Wow, Doug is a pretentious tool. I guess Sandra wanted the exact opposite of Noah. Sylar giving Angela the kiss of death made me laugh because it was so creepy. I don't think the dude with the dreadlocks necessarily has the same power that the Haitian does, because when he was done with Hiro, he hadn't forgotten anything. He still knew he had to escape and rescue someone, he was just confused about who that was. So I guess his power is... confusion?
V
The ending was cool, when they showed more ships coming. Hilarious pattern I noticed: every episode has a scene where Ryan hugs his human girlfriend and he makes an "Oh crap, I hope she doesn't find out I'm a V" face over her shoulder.
Glee
Only saw some of the episode, but I don't think I was missing much. Looked like it was mostly about Quinn's baby.
Survivor: Samoa
Clip show this week.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Who can keep a chicken coop on their head the longest? I like when they do these competitions that are really out there. This one was probably more entertaining than funny though, except when Kenny was basically doing a stand-up routine on abortion.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B
Saturday, November 21, 2009
This Week in Television - Nov. 16-20, 2009
Heroes
The stuff with Tracy getting help from Claire after losing control of her abilities was kind of pointless and pretty much the same story we got last season when Elle had the same problem. So if Samuel gets stronger around others with abilities, but he was somehow unaware of this without having seen the film, then the question of why he's gathering people is still up in the air. Disappointed that Sylar left Matt's body since watching those two duke it out was awesome, but maybe it will just continue with Sylar vs. Nathan.
V
Tyler is terrible at lying to his mom and stalling for time. Whatever the V's are planning to use him for, I hope they didn't need an intelligent person, because if so they will fail miserably.
Glee
No Sue at all this week, just some crazy obsessive teenage girls and Kurt trying to convert Finn to homosexuality. In a real life situation I would say it wouldn't happen, but since Glee tends to be unrealistic I wouldn't really be that surprised if Kurt and Finn hooked up at some point, even if it's temporary.
Modern Family
This episode was saved by its guest stars, Elizabeth Banks, who is cool, and Edward Norton, who I don't think of as a character actor but he does a good British accent. I also like the role reversal in having the wife be the one who is terrible with gifts and special occasions instead of the husband. Manny's attraction to Haley just seems like a recycling of the George Michael and Mayby thing from Arrested Development, although in this case I think Manny is Haley's... half uncle?
Survivor: Samoa
I didn't like Laura anyway. I'm still not really rooting for anyone in particular though, and there's only 8 left. Kind of a forgettable season in that sense.
Fringe
Awesome, I always found the observers really fascinating. Glad we got an episode to learn more about them. So if they are observing time, it must be that they are trying to either find something or learn something. And given that they are so bizarrely inhuman, why did that one guy start to have feelings?
Parks and Recreation
The hunting trip was kind of funny, but the best part was April and Andy wasting time doing mundane stuff like playing Marco Polo and practicing spit takes. I think they might get together at some point and would actually make a good couple (albeit a slightly weird one) since they're both so lazy and unmotivated.
The Office
Dwight's Recyclops costume was awesome. Kudos to Jim for punishing Ryan, because sometimes he can really be a smug prick. The ending was great when Dwight was so disgusted with the lineup for questions that he just ended up making suggestions for more efficient lineups.
30 Rock
Frank being the greenest person at TGS: funny; Dr. Spaceman making another appearance: awesome; Kathy Geiss's lawyer being a Teddy Ruxpin doll in a suit: priceless.
Flash Forward
Even back when Olivia first got the text, I knew it wasn't from anyone that Mark told. It's gotta be someone who was involved with the blackout. I like that the majority of the episode was about Bryce, because until now I thought of him as more of a minor supporting character. However it seems too soon to be introducing the girl from his flash forward and setting them up to be situated in the same country, because it looks like the first time they meet is in the vision, which would take place (and air) in the spring.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Season 6 kicked off this week with two episodes. The first was "Who Can 69 the Longest?". I read some of the competitions online and was wondering how they were going to do this one without it being too literal - there was no disgusting oral sex involved, just harnesses keeping them attached to each other in a 69-like position. The funniest part was watching them try to move around, and having the crew decide that it was a boring competition so they tortured them to provoke surrender.
The second episode was "Who can touch the most breasts?", and within minutes the term was quickly distorted to include the breasts of men, cows, chicken, and plastic mannequins and dolls. Surprisingly, I don't think Kenny even touched any bare lady breasts and Spenny got several (They're worth 3 points!).
New record: 11 shows this week! Also, for the first time in... possibly ever... I have at least one show on every weeknight.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A+
The stuff with Tracy getting help from Claire after losing control of her abilities was kind of pointless and pretty much the same story we got last season when Elle had the same problem. So if Samuel gets stronger around others with abilities, but he was somehow unaware of this without having seen the film, then the question of why he's gathering people is still up in the air. Disappointed that Sylar left Matt's body since watching those two duke it out was awesome, but maybe it will just continue with Sylar vs. Nathan.
V
Tyler is terrible at lying to his mom and stalling for time. Whatever the V's are planning to use him for, I hope they didn't need an intelligent person, because if so they will fail miserably.
Glee
No Sue at all this week, just some crazy obsessive teenage girls and Kurt trying to convert Finn to homosexuality. In a real life situation I would say it wouldn't happen, but since Glee tends to be unrealistic I wouldn't really be that surprised if Kurt and Finn hooked up at some point, even if it's temporary.
Modern Family
This episode was saved by its guest stars, Elizabeth Banks, who is cool, and Edward Norton, who I don't think of as a character actor but he does a good British accent. I also like the role reversal in having the wife be the one who is terrible with gifts and special occasions instead of the husband. Manny's attraction to Haley just seems like a recycling of the George Michael and Mayby thing from Arrested Development, although in this case I think Manny is Haley's... half uncle?
Survivor: Samoa
I didn't like Laura anyway. I'm still not really rooting for anyone in particular though, and there's only 8 left. Kind of a forgettable season in that sense.
Fringe
Awesome, I always found the observers really fascinating. Glad we got an episode to learn more about them. So if they are observing time, it must be that they are trying to either find something or learn something. And given that they are so bizarrely inhuman, why did that one guy start to have feelings?
Parks and Recreation
The hunting trip was kind of funny, but the best part was April and Andy wasting time doing mundane stuff like playing Marco Polo and practicing spit takes. I think they might get together at some point and would actually make a good couple (albeit a slightly weird one) since they're both so lazy and unmotivated.
The Office
Dwight's Recyclops costume was awesome. Kudos to Jim for punishing Ryan, because sometimes he can really be a smug prick. The ending was great when Dwight was so disgusted with the lineup for questions that he just ended up making suggestions for more efficient lineups.
30 Rock
Frank being the greenest person at TGS: funny; Dr. Spaceman making another appearance: awesome; Kathy Geiss's lawyer being a Teddy Ruxpin doll in a suit: priceless.
Flash Forward
Even back when Olivia first got the text, I knew it wasn't from anyone that Mark told. It's gotta be someone who was involved with the blackout. I like that the majority of the episode was about Bryce, because until now I thought of him as more of a minor supporting character. However it seems too soon to be introducing the girl from his flash forward and setting them up to be situated in the same country, because it looks like the first time they meet is in the vision, which would take place (and air) in the spring.
Kenny vs. Spenny
Season 6 kicked off this week with two episodes. The first was "Who Can 69 the Longest?". I read some of the competitions online and was wondering how they were going to do this one without it being too literal - there was no disgusting oral sex involved, just harnesses keeping them attached to each other in a 69-like position. The funniest part was watching them try to move around, and having the crew decide that it was a boring competition so they tortured them to provoke surrender.
The second episode was "Who can touch the most breasts?", and within minutes the term was quickly distorted to include the breasts of men, cows, chicken, and plastic mannequins and dolls. Surprisingly, I don't think Kenny even touched any bare lady breasts and Spenny got several (They're worth 3 points!).
New record: 11 shows this week! Also, for the first time in... possibly ever... I have at least one show on every weeknight.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A+
Saturday, November 14, 2009
This Week in Television - Nov. 9-13, 2009
Heroes
Man, Samuel is really working everyone. Still not sure exactly what his goal is. I'm not convinced that wanting to keep the other "special" people safe is his only priority. The Parkman vs. Sylar stuff was the highlight of the episode though, I am loving that plotline.
V
Still hate that Tyler kid. I like how Decker turned the tables on Anna, although Scott Wolf is admittedly one of the most forgettable actors out there so I wish he was being played by someone else.
Glee
I'll admit it, it was kind of sweet when they revealed that Sue has a mentally challenged sister. Kind of makes me like her more, even though I mainly like her for her hilarious evilness.
Survivor: Samoa
Damn, Russell keeps finding idols and playing them. I still think he'll get his.
Fringe
I knew it was the kid doing the mind control before they revealed it. They kept cutting to him every time someone was being forced to kill themselves. I don't think that human brains would taste like chicken but those kinds of random thoughts are why Walter Bishop is my hero.
Parks and Recreation
I liked this one. It wasn't necessarily the funniest episode, but I thought it was a cool episode idea to have everyone design a new mural for the town hall. Andy shining shoes seems like a perfect job for him somehow, I hope he keeps that one for a while.
The Office
Michael was kind of annoying in this episode, and I never find him as annoying as everyone else who watches The Office does. I guess I just wasn't really a fan of him staying in his southern gentleman character for most of the episode. The Mexican standoff at the end was awesome though.
30 Rock
I love that Liz Lemon's name on the foreign market is "Lesbian Yellow Sour Fruit".
Flash Forward
So I guess the whole debate they're getting into now is: can the future really be changed? On Lost they talked about how the universe has a way of course correcting, but does that apply on Flash Forward? I think what I'm actually most intrigued about is what they're going to do for the second season, which would take place after everyone's flash forwards come to pass (or not?). Maybe they'll all just have new flash forwards to stress about.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Man, Samuel is really working everyone. Still not sure exactly what his goal is. I'm not convinced that wanting to keep the other "special" people safe is his only priority. The Parkman vs. Sylar stuff was the highlight of the episode though, I am loving that plotline.
V
Still hate that Tyler kid. I like how Decker turned the tables on Anna, although Scott Wolf is admittedly one of the most forgettable actors out there so I wish he was being played by someone else.
Glee
I'll admit it, it was kind of sweet when they revealed that Sue has a mentally challenged sister. Kind of makes me like her more, even though I mainly like her for her hilarious evilness.
Survivor: Samoa
Damn, Russell keeps finding idols and playing them. I still think he'll get his.
Fringe
I knew it was the kid doing the mind control before they revealed it. They kept cutting to him every time someone was being forced to kill themselves. I don't think that human brains would taste like chicken but those kinds of random thoughts are why Walter Bishop is my hero.
Parks and Recreation
I liked this one. It wasn't necessarily the funniest episode, but I thought it was a cool episode idea to have everyone design a new mural for the town hall. Andy shining shoes seems like a perfect job for him somehow, I hope he keeps that one for a while.
The Office
Michael was kind of annoying in this episode, and I never find him as annoying as everyone else who watches The Office does. I guess I just wasn't really a fan of him staying in his southern gentleman character for most of the episode. The Mexican standoff at the end was awesome though.
30 Rock
I love that Liz Lemon's name on the foreign market is "Lesbian Yellow Sour Fruit".
Flash Forward
So I guess the whole debate they're getting into now is: can the future really be changed? On Lost they talked about how the universe has a way of course correcting, but does that apply on Flash Forward? I think what I'm actually most intrigued about is what they're going to do for the second season, which would take place after everyone's flash forwards come to pass (or not?). Maybe they'll all just have new flash forwards to stress about.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
This Week in Television - Nov. 2-6, 2009
Heroes
Not sure I believe that Charlie is even still alive. I think her apology to Hiro was just a vision created by Samuel to get him on board with his plan. How many powers does this guy have, and how did he get them? LOL HE KILLED MOHINDER.
V
So this new show started up this week. It was cool, although I don't like Elizabeth Mitchell's teenage son and his friend. They're idiots and I don't care for them. The plane falling out of the sky when the ships arrived looked really cool, as did the ships themselves. And the reptile skin under the Visitor disguises. I like the idea of aliens pretending to be peaceful and helpful while secretly plotting to take over Earth. It's more interesting than just having them fly in and start blowing up major landmarks. I thought Morena Baccarin's performance was good too, she has a way of feigning pleasantness so that you can still kind of see that she is cold and robotic underneath. This show is apparently a remake of a mini-series but I have never seen it because it was almost before my time.
Survivor: Samoa
Russell wasted his idol, and in the preview for the next episode he looks scared and desperate. Sucker.
Fringe
The turning people into dust thing was cool. Nice to finally see a bit more character development with Broyles.
Parks and Recreation
Ron and Tammy were hilarious together. I thought it was an interesting take that he doesn't actually hate his wife, he only convinces himself that he does in order to resist her.
The Office
Michael dumping Pam's mom after finding out her age was typical Michael, but the best part of the episode was Dwight and Andy's polite favour war. When Dwight was offering bagels at the beginning I at first thought he had put something in them, but I suppose that's not his style.
30 Rock
I kind of hope they continue to use the robot guy in TGS sketches, just because of how stupid it would be. Did anyone else catch Liz referring to Gilbert Gottfried as "Sir Gilbert Gottfried"?
Flash Forward
Al did a brave thing by killing himself, but if I were him I wouldn't have jumped off a building. I kept thinking how hilariously ironic it would be if he ended up landing on the woman he was supposed to have killed in the future. I don't think this means everyone else's futures won't happen though, it only means they can be altered.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Not sure I believe that Charlie is even still alive. I think her apology to Hiro was just a vision created by Samuel to get him on board with his plan. How many powers does this guy have, and how did he get them? LOL HE KILLED MOHINDER.
V
So this new show started up this week. It was cool, although I don't like Elizabeth Mitchell's teenage son and his friend. They're idiots and I don't care for them. The plane falling out of the sky when the ships arrived looked really cool, as did the ships themselves. And the reptile skin under the Visitor disguises. I like the idea of aliens pretending to be peaceful and helpful while secretly plotting to take over Earth. It's more interesting than just having them fly in and start blowing up major landmarks. I thought Morena Baccarin's performance was good too, she has a way of feigning pleasantness so that you can still kind of see that she is cold and robotic underneath. This show is apparently a remake of a mini-series but I have never seen it because it was almost before my time.
Survivor: Samoa
Russell wasted his idol, and in the preview for the next episode he looks scared and desperate. Sucker.
Fringe
The turning people into dust thing was cool. Nice to finally see a bit more character development with Broyles.
Parks and Recreation
Ron and Tammy were hilarious together. I thought it was an interesting take that he doesn't actually hate his wife, he only convinces himself that he does in order to resist her.
The Office
Michael dumping Pam's mom after finding out her age was typical Michael, but the best part of the episode was Dwight and Andy's polite favour war. When Dwight was offering bagels at the beginning I at first thought he had put something in them, but I suppose that's not his style.
30 Rock
I kind of hope they continue to use the robot guy in TGS sketches, just because of how stupid it would be. Did anyone else catch Liz referring to Gilbert Gottfried as "Sir Gilbert Gottfried"?
Flash Forward
Al did a brave thing by killing himself, but if I were him I wouldn't have jumped off a building. I kept thinking how hilariously ironic it would be if he ended up landing on the woman he was supposed to have killed in the future. I don't think this means everyone else's futures won't happen though, it only means they can be altered.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Saturday, October 31, 2009
This Week in Television - Oct. 26-30, 2009
Heroes
I'm not sure I really have anything to say about this week's episode of Heroes. Sororities and fraternities bore me. Tracy Strauss bores me. Samuel Sullivan perplexes me.
Survivor: Samoa
That puzzle looked hard, man. All the pieces, I think, were exactly the same and you had to find a pattern and put them in just the right way... Surprised anyone even got it. It makes me mad that everyone who doesn't trust Russell gets voted off.
Parks and Recreation
This week's episode was very enjoyable. Halloween episodes of TV shows do tend to be fun though. I like how there wasn't really anyone wearing a creative costume, it kind of feels more realistic that way. The "straight guy" costume being the exact same clothes Mark wears was hilarious.
The Office
Michael being a Dick in a Box guy for Halloween makes so much sense given that some of his previous costumes were listed in an earlier season as being "Janet Jackson's boob, Monica Lewinsky (twice), and OJ". Also found the gag about pretending to hang himself to teach kids about suicide to be really funny, and Daryl not knowing what anyone's costume was. Pam and Andy making sales calls was also a fun team to see.
30 Rock
Oh man, so many amazing jokes in this episode! The two dead "celebrities" barely qualifying as real celebrities; Tracy promising to eat a bowl of cherries and some ghost meat in the Pac-Man guy's honour; Jimmy Fallon's self-deprecating jokes about his show; random southerners being played by Jack McBrayer in costume so that they all look like Kenneth... Best episode of the season so far - although, yes, it's only episode three.
Flash Forward
This was a good one. I liked the tension when they met at Mark and Olivia's house and everyone realized Mr. Simcoe was the dude from her flash forward. Dominic Monaghan's character is interesting and I hope we see him more. I don't think it has been addressed that Simcoe looked upset about something in his flash forward before Olivia called to him.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
I'm not sure I really have anything to say about this week's episode of Heroes. Sororities and fraternities bore me. Tracy Strauss bores me. Samuel Sullivan perplexes me.
Survivor: Samoa
That puzzle looked hard, man. All the pieces, I think, were exactly the same and you had to find a pattern and put them in just the right way... Surprised anyone even got it. It makes me mad that everyone who doesn't trust Russell gets voted off.
Parks and Recreation
This week's episode was very enjoyable. Halloween episodes of TV shows do tend to be fun though. I like how there wasn't really anyone wearing a creative costume, it kind of feels more realistic that way. The "straight guy" costume being the exact same clothes Mark wears was hilarious.
The Office
Michael being a Dick in a Box guy for Halloween makes so much sense given that some of his previous costumes were listed in an earlier season as being "Janet Jackson's boob, Monica Lewinsky (twice), and OJ". Also found the gag about pretending to hang himself to teach kids about suicide to be really funny, and Daryl not knowing what anyone's costume was. Pam and Andy making sales calls was also a fun team to see.
30 Rock
Oh man, so many amazing jokes in this episode! The two dead "celebrities" barely qualifying as real celebrities; Tracy promising to eat a bowl of cherries and some ghost meat in the Pac-Man guy's honour; Jimmy Fallon's self-deprecating jokes about his show; random southerners being played by Jack McBrayer in costume so that they all look like Kenneth... Best episode of the season so far - although, yes, it's only episode three.
Flash Forward
This was a good one. I liked the tension when they met at Mark and Olivia's house and everyone realized Mr. Simcoe was the dude from her flash forward. Dominic Monaghan's character is interesting and I hope we see him more. I don't think it has been addressed that Simcoe looked upset about something in his flash forward before Olivia called to him.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Friday, October 30, 2009
This Week in Television - Oct. 19-23, 2009
Heroes
It would've been faster for Peter to teleport that kid back to the hospital to help Hiro, which is what I was thinking they would do, but apparently that never occurred to him. On the other hand it never occurred to me for Peter to take the kid's power and catch a flight back. I don't think Hiro will get to save Charlie because then she would probably have to become a series regular and Jayma Mays is busy on Glee. I did hear she was going to guest star though so I think we'll see her next week.
Glee
I don't buy that girls wouldn't like Puck for being a jerk. High school girls especially love good-looking jerks. Sue's tacky red zoot suit was great.
Survivor: Samoa
You know, it's really suspicious how they always only have one challenge in episodes where there is too much drama to allow time for a second challenge. And no, I don't think they make that decision AFTER the drama happens, because Russell passed out at the challenge, which was for reward and then both tribes were going to tribal council with no immunity, so there was no second challenge planned before they started. I'm on to you, fake television!
Parks and Recreation
Cool to see Aziz's buddy from Human Giant making a guest appearance, but otherwise this episode wasn't really that special. But hey, at least they finally got the pit filled in.
The Office
Probably one of the weakest episodes of the season so far. Most of it was just Pam reacting to Michael hooking up with her mom. Although I did like that her initial reaction was to run screaming from the room like an 8 year-old.
30 Rock
Always a great episode when Will Arnett guest stars. I hope the epic battle between Banks and Donaghy never ends.
Flash Forward
Okay, so there was no mention whatsoever of Dominic Monaghan or his mysterious phonecall from the end of the last episode. I kind of liked the courtroom stuff though. I guess there's always going to be people questioning the validity of the flash forwards. I wonder if Janis is dead and they were showing her flash forward for irony's sake and to show that it's not going to come true, or to remind us that it still is. She was shot in the stomach I think, not the chest, so she may survive.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B (Okay, so I'll keep the rating after all. Some weeks aren't as good as others.)
It would've been faster for Peter to teleport that kid back to the hospital to help Hiro, which is what I was thinking they would do, but apparently that never occurred to him. On the other hand it never occurred to me for Peter to take the kid's power and catch a flight back. I don't think Hiro will get to save Charlie because then she would probably have to become a series regular and Jayma Mays is busy on Glee. I did hear she was going to guest star though so I think we'll see her next week.
Glee
I don't buy that girls wouldn't like Puck for being a jerk. High school girls especially love good-looking jerks. Sue's tacky red zoot suit was great.
Survivor: Samoa
You know, it's really suspicious how they always only have one challenge in episodes where there is too much drama to allow time for a second challenge. And no, I don't think they make that decision AFTER the drama happens, because Russell passed out at the challenge, which was for reward and then both tribes were going to tribal council with no immunity, so there was no second challenge planned before they started. I'm on to you, fake television!
Parks and Recreation
Cool to see Aziz's buddy from Human Giant making a guest appearance, but otherwise this episode wasn't really that special. But hey, at least they finally got the pit filled in.
The Office
Probably one of the weakest episodes of the season so far. Most of it was just Pam reacting to Michael hooking up with her mom. Although I did like that her initial reaction was to run screaming from the room like an 8 year-old.
30 Rock
Always a great episode when Will Arnett guest stars. I hope the epic battle between Banks and Donaghy never ends.
Flash Forward
Okay, so there was no mention whatsoever of Dominic Monaghan or his mysterious phonecall from the end of the last episode. I kind of liked the courtroom stuff though. I guess there's always going to be people questioning the validity of the flash forwards. I wonder if Janis is dead and they were showing her flash forward for irony's sake and to show that it's not going to come true, or to remind us that it still is. She was shot in the stomach I think, not the chest, so she may survive.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B (Okay, so I'll keep the rating after all. Some weeks aren't as good as others.)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
This Week in Television - Oct. 12-16, 2009
Heroes
What a weird coincidence, Ernie Hudson guest stars on Heroes as a cop who meets invincible Sylar, right after I just watched The Crow, where Ernie plays a cop who meets an invincible dude. So it looks like the deaf lady can use sound as a weapon now? That's much cooler than just seeing sound. I still don't get this carnival stuff though and why they're so obsessed with having a complete "family". P.S. Told you Gretchen was hot for Claire.
Glee
Another solid episode heavily featuring Sue Sylvester. I loved the use of "O Fortuna" as Sue and Will struggle for control of Glee Club, because I always thought it was the most epic-sounding battle song ever composed. Also like that they performed "Keep Holding On", as it is one of my favourite Avril Lavigne songs.
Survivor: Samoa
Ugh, sea slug guts.
Fringe
Wow, you really gotta give this show credit for coming up with the coolest/weirdest/creepiest concepts every single episode. A sleep doctor secretly addicted to stealing and experiencing other people's dreams, rendering the victims exhausted so that they suffer delusions and commit murder-suicides? Genius.
Parks and Recreation
Fred Armisen is good at playing foreigners. I liked that little montage of him explaining all of the things you go to jail for in his country.
The Office
The best part was Oscar telling the cameras that without Jim and Pam, the sane/insane ratio in the office is severely off balance. So true.
30 Rock
Yay, 30 Rock is back! Not the strongest debut but still a good episode. I liked the jokes about everyone forgetting who Josh is since he hasn't been around much in the last two seasons.
Flash Forward
Not much really happened in this episode except for Dominic Monaghan's crazy appearance at the end. This show likes to be somewhat average for about 40 minutes and then spring a surprise cliffhanger ending during the last two.
Modern Family
Not as good as last week's episode. I saw several of the biggest gags coming before they happened, and the storyline seemed like textbook family sitcom stuff: eccentric relative coming to visit, daughter has a boyfriend the parents don't like, blah blah blah.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B+ (That's right, I went below A.)
What a weird coincidence, Ernie Hudson guest stars on Heroes as a cop who meets invincible Sylar, right after I just watched The Crow, where Ernie plays a cop who meets an invincible dude. So it looks like the deaf lady can use sound as a weapon now? That's much cooler than just seeing sound. I still don't get this carnival stuff though and why they're so obsessed with having a complete "family". P.S. Told you Gretchen was hot for Claire.
Glee
Another solid episode heavily featuring Sue Sylvester. I loved the use of "O Fortuna" as Sue and Will struggle for control of Glee Club, because I always thought it was the most epic-sounding battle song ever composed. Also like that they performed "Keep Holding On", as it is one of my favourite Avril Lavigne songs.
Survivor: Samoa
Ugh, sea slug guts.
Fringe
Wow, you really gotta give this show credit for coming up with the coolest/weirdest/creepiest concepts every single episode. A sleep doctor secretly addicted to stealing and experiencing other people's dreams, rendering the victims exhausted so that they suffer delusions and commit murder-suicides? Genius.
Parks and Recreation
Fred Armisen is good at playing foreigners. I liked that little montage of him explaining all of the things you go to jail for in his country.
The Office
The best part was Oscar telling the cameras that without Jim and Pam, the sane/insane ratio in the office is severely off balance. So true.
30 Rock
Yay, 30 Rock is back! Not the strongest debut but still a good episode. I liked the jokes about everyone forgetting who Josh is since he hasn't been around much in the last two seasons.
Flash Forward
Not much really happened in this episode except for Dominic Monaghan's crazy appearance at the end. This show likes to be somewhat average for about 40 minutes and then spring a surprise cliffhanger ending during the last two.
Modern Family
Not as good as last week's episode. I saw several of the biggest gags coming before they happened, and the storyline seemed like textbook family sitcom stuff: eccentric relative coming to visit, daughter has a boyfriend the parents don't like, blah blah blah.
Overall rating for this week's shows: B+ (That's right, I went below A.)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
This Week in Television - Oct. 5-9, 2009
Heroes
I found this episode to be a bit...dull. I even predicted Sylar popping out of the dirt at the end. But really, not much happened. Nathan turned back into Sylar, Tracy decided not to be a whore, Bennet decided to go back to doing what he's been doing all along anyway, and Hiro told his sister he was dying. Yawn.
Glee
I actually really liked this episode and for once I have no complaints. Easily the best episode so far. The best scene was Sue writing in her journal, funny stuff, and the ending was awesome because Sue being co-manager of Glee Club means more of her in future episodes. For a villain, I don't even hate her in the slightest. Maybe because I don't care about the fate of the Glee Club. It's the least appealing part of the show for me.
Survivor: Samoa
I still don't have anyone to root for yet. Someone has yet to step up and start being cool. I don't think they should have voted off Yasmin. Yes, she does nothing around camp, but she's helpful in challenges, and if you vote her off she still does nothing around camp but your team sucks more at challenges without her. Smart thinking, guys.
Fringe
Hey, we finally got to see Olivia Dunham's meeting with William Bell! And she finally caught Flancis and gave him some lead injections! And Walter finally sort of almost had a love interest! And Dunham screwed up a little and let the enemies resurrect their leader! This episode was so good that all of these sentences have to end with exclamation points!
Community
I've never seen this show before but I watched it this week while waiting for Parks and Recreation. I have to admit I found it bland. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't awesome, it was just very average in my opinion. A lot of the jokes were almost funny but not quite. It felt realistic in the sense that it was the kind of jokes you might hear real people make rather than witty comedy writers. Yes, that is an insult and a compliment at the same time. That's kind of like what watching Community was like.
Parks and Recreation
I just realized that so far this season there hasn't been any talk at all about trying to turn the pit into a park. But I'm okay with that, it's still a funny and enjoyable show, and I loved the idea for this episode about everyone playing a game where they try to find the biggest dirt on each other. I found it really funny when Tom approaches Ron at the end of his performance and says "Duke Silver! I'm a big fan!" and Ron veeeery slowly looks up at him. Other than it being a really cheesy night job I don't even see why that would be considered a "skeleton in the closet", but that's the joke I suppose. I also thought it was hilarious that the congressman on TV reportedly had sex with a prostitute on the way there and back from his apology press conference for having affairs. That's real politics for ya.
The Office
So, the big wedding episode... Jim and Pam were cute, and it had some funny moments. The beginning was the best, when everyone in the office started barfing except Creed, who casually watched while eating some spaghetti. That is a classic scene right there. Also enjoyed Kevin's kleenex box shoes, Andy tearing his scrotum, Dwight pretending to give Michael his hotel room, and Michael hooking up with Pam's mom, of all people. For a little while I almost thought he was going to get with Pam's grandma though, which would have been even funnier.
Flash Forward
I don't believe Demetri's fiancee. I mean I do believe her, but I don't think it was him she saw in her flash forward. She saw him from a distance, first of all, but I think it was just someone else's wedding. He's probably still going to die, but the "maybe you were just sleeping" explanation from previous episodes brings up an interesting point: maybe some people were sleeping and what they saw were actually just dreams, not visions of the future. That would explain why that one guy's daughter was proven dead even though he saw her alive. Unless someone is just covering it up... P.S. I have no idea what dead crows mean.
Modern Family
I had never seen this show either, but unlike Community I enjoyed this one. I am a fan of the mockumentary format and I didn't know this show had talking heads, so that helped me jump on board, but also it was funny and the characters were entertaining too. I like the running gag (at least I hope it continues to run) that the one family has a second daughter we never see because she is literally always upstairs in her room. Also nice to see Ed O'Neil working again after disappearing for about 10 years. The last time I saw him was a guest spot on 8 Simple Rules.
Wow, 9 shows this week! I don't think I've watched that much TV in years.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A- (Maybe I should lose the rating thing, it's generally going to be high since I tend to only watch shows I like.)
I found this episode to be a bit...dull. I even predicted Sylar popping out of the dirt at the end. But really, not much happened. Nathan turned back into Sylar, Tracy decided not to be a whore, Bennet decided to go back to doing what he's been doing all along anyway, and Hiro told his sister he was dying. Yawn.
Glee
I actually really liked this episode and for once I have no complaints. Easily the best episode so far. The best scene was Sue writing in her journal, funny stuff, and the ending was awesome because Sue being co-manager of Glee Club means more of her in future episodes. For a villain, I don't even hate her in the slightest. Maybe because I don't care about the fate of the Glee Club. It's the least appealing part of the show for me.
Survivor: Samoa
I still don't have anyone to root for yet. Someone has yet to step up and start being cool. I don't think they should have voted off Yasmin. Yes, she does nothing around camp, but she's helpful in challenges, and if you vote her off she still does nothing around camp but your team sucks more at challenges without her. Smart thinking, guys.
Fringe
Hey, we finally got to see Olivia Dunham's meeting with William Bell! And she finally caught Flancis and gave him some lead injections! And Walter finally sort of almost had a love interest! And Dunham screwed up a little and let the enemies resurrect their leader! This episode was so good that all of these sentences have to end with exclamation points!
Community
I've never seen this show before but I watched it this week while waiting for Parks and Recreation. I have to admit I found it bland. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't awesome, it was just very average in my opinion. A lot of the jokes were almost funny but not quite. It felt realistic in the sense that it was the kind of jokes you might hear real people make rather than witty comedy writers. Yes, that is an insult and a compliment at the same time. That's kind of like what watching Community was like.
Parks and Recreation
I just realized that so far this season there hasn't been any talk at all about trying to turn the pit into a park. But I'm okay with that, it's still a funny and enjoyable show, and I loved the idea for this episode about everyone playing a game where they try to find the biggest dirt on each other. I found it really funny when Tom approaches Ron at the end of his performance and says "Duke Silver! I'm a big fan!" and Ron veeeery slowly looks up at him. Other than it being a really cheesy night job I don't even see why that would be considered a "skeleton in the closet", but that's the joke I suppose. I also thought it was hilarious that the congressman on TV reportedly had sex with a prostitute on the way there and back from his apology press conference for having affairs. That's real politics for ya.
The Office
So, the big wedding episode... Jim and Pam were cute, and it had some funny moments. The beginning was the best, when everyone in the office started barfing except Creed, who casually watched while eating some spaghetti. That is a classic scene right there. Also enjoyed Kevin's kleenex box shoes, Andy tearing his scrotum, Dwight pretending to give Michael his hotel room, and Michael hooking up with Pam's mom, of all people. For a little while I almost thought he was going to get with Pam's grandma though, which would have been even funnier.
Flash Forward
I don't believe Demetri's fiancee. I mean I do believe her, but I don't think it was him she saw in her flash forward. She saw him from a distance, first of all, but I think it was just someone else's wedding. He's probably still going to die, but the "maybe you were just sleeping" explanation from previous episodes brings up an interesting point: maybe some people were sleeping and what they saw were actually just dreams, not visions of the future. That would explain why that one guy's daughter was proven dead even though he saw her alive. Unless someone is just covering it up... P.S. I have no idea what dead crows mean.
Modern Family
I had never seen this show either, but unlike Community I enjoyed this one. I am a fan of the mockumentary format and I didn't know this show had talking heads, so that helped me jump on board, but also it was funny and the characters were entertaining too. I like the running gag (at least I hope it continues to run) that the one family has a second daughter we never see because she is literally always upstairs in her room. Also nice to see Ed O'Neil working again after disappearing for about 10 years. The last time I saw him was a guest spot on 8 Simple Rules.
Wow, 9 shows this week! I don't think I've watched that much TV in years.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A- (Maybe I should lose the rating thing, it's generally going to be high since I tend to only watch shows I like.)
Monday, October 5, 2009
This Week in Television - Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2009
Heroes
You would think that a guy whose power was the ability to manipulate ink could better insert himself into a newspaper photograph so that he didn't look BLATANTLY PHOTOSHOPPED. I'm not sure if it was just poorly done or if they did it that way to make him stand out in the photo for the viewer's sake, but I think the latter was unnecessary so they could have done a better job. In reality, a person in a photo with completely different brightness/contrast than the rest of the photo is clearly shopped and Peter would have noticed that. And what's the deal with the deaf woman? Okay, so she can see sound as colour and that's nice for a deaf person and all, but how is it in any way useful in the grand scheme of the show? I'm stumped on that one. P.S. Gretchen totally wants Claire. I think she made the roommate kill herself to get in on that.
Glee
Not enough Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) in this episode, but her one line still managed to be the funniest part. Luckily Kristin Chenoweth was an excellent choice for a guest star and actually made it a decent episode.
Survivor: Samoa
Not sure I like them combining reward and immunity challenges into one all the time now. Ben was dumb and deserved to go home.
Fringe
Man, I'm loving this season of Fringe so far. Was the ending implying that Walter is going to destroy the world?
Parks and Recreation
April was funny in this episode. Probably the least effort anyone's ever put into a beauty pagent. Once again I also like the satire in this episode commenting on chauvinism and how hot girls always get farther than smart girls because of it. Tom's pimp strategy of giving girls his house key was also funny.
The Office
I liked this episode, it was interesting seeing Jim and Michael work together, butting heads and then cooperating, and the nice scene at the end where they didn't have to bare their unpopular decision alone. When Jim had to make his unfortunate announcement, I thought Michael was going to step in and show him up by saying something to fix the situation, but he only made it worse so I liked that I wasn't able to predict that.
Flash Forward
I have one complaint about this show: Too much belittling of audience memory. They must have shown Olivia's damn vision at least five times during the episode (not even counting the recap at the beginning), always the same shots and camera angles and everything. Really, guys, did your market research tell you that the majority of your viewers were burnouts and junkies with 5 minute memories? I mean if you want to show each vision like once an episode, fine, but we don't need to keep seeing them again in such a short timeframe. They weren't complex enough to warrant that. But all of that aside, I am finding Flash Forward very interesting so far. I hope they continue to explore that strange mystery man and why D. Gibbons was talking to him during the blackout.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
You would think that a guy whose power was the ability to manipulate ink could better insert himself into a newspaper photograph so that he didn't look BLATANTLY PHOTOSHOPPED. I'm not sure if it was just poorly done or if they did it that way to make him stand out in the photo for the viewer's sake, but I think the latter was unnecessary so they could have done a better job. In reality, a person in a photo with completely different brightness/contrast than the rest of the photo is clearly shopped and Peter would have noticed that. And what's the deal with the deaf woman? Okay, so she can see sound as colour and that's nice for a deaf person and all, but how is it in any way useful in the grand scheme of the show? I'm stumped on that one. P.S. Gretchen totally wants Claire. I think she made the roommate kill herself to get in on that.
Glee
Not enough Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) in this episode, but her one line still managed to be the funniest part. Luckily Kristin Chenoweth was an excellent choice for a guest star and actually made it a decent episode.
Survivor: Samoa
Not sure I like them combining reward and immunity challenges into one all the time now. Ben was dumb and deserved to go home.
Fringe
Man, I'm loving this season of Fringe so far. Was the ending implying that Walter is going to destroy the world?
Parks and Recreation
April was funny in this episode. Probably the least effort anyone's ever put into a beauty pagent. Once again I also like the satire in this episode commenting on chauvinism and how hot girls always get farther than smart girls because of it. Tom's pimp strategy of giving girls his house key was also funny.
The Office
I liked this episode, it was interesting seeing Jim and Michael work together, butting heads and then cooperating, and the nice scene at the end where they didn't have to bare their unpopular decision alone. When Jim had to make his unfortunate announcement, I thought Michael was going to step in and show him up by saying something to fix the situation, but he only made it worse so I liked that I wasn't able to predict that.
Flash Forward
I have one complaint about this show: Too much belittling of audience memory. They must have shown Olivia's damn vision at least five times during the episode (not even counting the recap at the beginning), always the same shots and camera angles and everything. Really, guys, did your market research tell you that the majority of your viewers were burnouts and junkies with 5 minute memories? I mean if you want to show each vision like once an episode, fine, but we don't need to keep seeing them again in such a short timeframe. They weren't complex enough to warrant that. But all of that aside, I am finding Flash Forward very interesting so far. I hope they continue to explore that strange mystery man and why D. Gibbons was talking to him during the blackout.
Overall rating for this week's shows: A
Monday, September 28, 2009
This Week in Television - Sept. 21-25, 2009
Heroes
Heroes has been somewhat declining since its first season, but I have still been watching and the season 4 premiere was actually a lot better than I was expecting. Although the segments with Claire going to college were bland, luckily the rest of the episode made up for it. I think the writers are aware that season one was their best season, and so they have cleverly attempted to replicate their golden era by having the characters go back into hiding and try not to use their powers in public (or at all). The guy with the tattoo power should make for an interesting villain, and while I wasn't really a fan of the "turning Sylar into Nathan" plotline, I think they handled it better here. Still disappointed that they killed off Elle last season though.
Glee
Now I remember why I like Glee: football players dancing to Beyoncé in the middle of a game! Oh, wait, I didn't like that part so much. I pretty much just watch the show for Jane Lynch's character Sue Sylvester now, which is a name I find funny for some reason. The rest of the show is too much teen soap opera mixed with after school special about having self esteem. For example, this episode featured a woman who is lying to her husband about being pregnant trying to scam a pregnant cheerleader who is lying about her baby's daddy into giving her the baby so her husband won't know she's lying about the pregnancy. Sounds like a soap to me. And it seems that every episode is about someone being ashamed of themselves and then learning not to be. I have nothing against the message, but does it have to be in every episode?
Survivor: Samoa
I don't understand how Russell has so much power. He's aggressively conning everyone and there are those who don't even trust him, yet he ends up deciding all the votes. The worst part is that he's getting rid of the smart ones who don't trust him in order to make himself even more powerful. And he pre-emptively found the immunity idol before anyone knew about it. I still don't think he's going to win though.
Fringe
That was a little creepy when that monster thing was gnawing on Peter and Olivia. Olivia should have noticed there was something wrong with Flancis though. He was noticeably monotonous and distant. At least "Hank Scudder" was in this episode!
Parks and Recreation
Ron Swanson is also a funny sounding name. Especially when you're using it to try and threaten a police officer like Leslie was. Not as good an episode as last week, but not bad.
The Office
I wonder where they're headed with the whole Jim and Michael as co-managers thing. I say this because at the beginning of the series, Jim stated that he didn't want a promotion because it would turn his job into a career and he didn't want to make a career out of selling paper. I guess he's doing it to support his new family. Also Dwight and Toby make for a funny team. But then Dwight and anyone usually makes for a funny team. Kudos to Michael in this episode for trying to sneak into a classified meeting on the bottom of a cheese cart, but not until the end of the meeting, thereby learning nothing.
Flash Forward
ABC is clearly trying to produce a new mystery/sci-fi show to replace Lost when it ends, but they may have made a good choice. It just started so it needs a little more time to develop, but I think Flash Forward has potential. Just like Lost's future visions, they create suspense rather than ruin it, because while we see what happens, the mystery is in how and why it happens. And of course the best part of all was the ending: why was there someone up and walking around while the rest of the world was blacked out?!
Overall rating for this week's shows: A-
Heroes has been somewhat declining since its first season, but I have still been watching and the season 4 premiere was actually a lot better than I was expecting. Although the segments with Claire going to college were bland, luckily the rest of the episode made up for it. I think the writers are aware that season one was their best season, and so they have cleverly attempted to replicate their golden era by having the characters go back into hiding and try not to use their powers in public (or at all). The guy with the tattoo power should make for an interesting villain, and while I wasn't really a fan of the "turning Sylar into Nathan" plotline, I think they handled it better here. Still disappointed that they killed off Elle last season though.
Glee
Now I remember why I like Glee: football players dancing to Beyoncé in the middle of a game! Oh, wait, I didn't like that part so much. I pretty much just watch the show for Jane Lynch's character Sue Sylvester now, which is a name I find funny for some reason. The rest of the show is too much teen soap opera mixed with after school special about having self esteem. For example, this episode featured a woman who is lying to her husband about being pregnant trying to scam a pregnant cheerleader who is lying about her baby's daddy into giving her the baby so her husband won't know she's lying about the pregnancy. Sounds like a soap to me. And it seems that every episode is about someone being ashamed of themselves and then learning not to be. I have nothing against the message, but does it have to be in every episode?
Survivor: Samoa
I don't understand how Russell has so much power. He's aggressively conning everyone and there are those who don't even trust him, yet he ends up deciding all the votes. The worst part is that he's getting rid of the smart ones who don't trust him in order to make himself even more powerful. And he pre-emptively found the immunity idol before anyone knew about it. I still don't think he's going to win though.
Fringe
That was a little creepy when that monster thing was gnawing on Peter and Olivia. Olivia should have noticed there was something wrong with Flancis though. He was noticeably monotonous and distant. At least "Hank Scudder" was in this episode!
Parks and Recreation
Ron Swanson is also a funny sounding name. Especially when you're using it to try and threaten a police officer like Leslie was. Not as good an episode as last week, but not bad.
The Office
I wonder where they're headed with the whole Jim and Michael as co-managers thing. I say this because at the beginning of the series, Jim stated that he didn't want a promotion because it would turn his job into a career and he didn't want to make a career out of selling paper. I guess he's doing it to support his new family. Also Dwight and Toby make for a funny team. But then Dwight and anyone usually makes for a funny team. Kudos to Michael in this episode for trying to sneak into a classified meeting on the bottom of a cheese cart, but not until the end of the meeting, thereby learning nothing.
Flash Forward
ABC is clearly trying to produce a new mystery/sci-fi show to replace Lost when it ends, but they may have made a good choice. It just started so it needs a little more time to develop, but I think Flash Forward has potential. Just like Lost's future visions, they create suspense rather than ruin it, because while we see what happens, the mystery is in how and why it happens. And of course the best part of all was the ending: why was there someone up and walking around while the rest of the world was blacked out?!
Overall rating for this week's shows: A-
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