Suburgatory "Eat, Pray, Eat"
So...what happened to the Shays? The look of the show right now is so completely different from the first half of the season. I have to wonder if this was intentional due to having smaller episode commitments for different actors or if the writers are simply having a hard time juggling the large cast and world they've built.
-I find it a little funny that Tessa, the narrator of this show, has the same problem as Teb Mosby, the narrator of his show. Both have become a liability since their narrations require them to be more grounded which results in them being pretty boring in comparison to the rest of the cast. It's a natural result of the narration structure (Arrested Development avoided it by having an outsider's voice). I do like that Suburgatory is addressing it head on though and Jane Levy plays awkward moments well, so that can potentially carry her out of this problem.
The Americans "Mutually Assured Destruction"
Oh no, I waited too long to talk about this. This is not a show in which individual episodes stick out as much for me. Let's see...That's something I can comment on. I've pleased by the level of competency with which they are handling the more action-oriented elements of the show. Both the explosions and shootout in the hotel room were impressively staged.
Community "Economics of Marine Biology"
This is the closest in form to what I'd like to see out of Community right now. Small episode, mostly confined to the school, not super heavy on gimmicks. This is vintage season one (not as funny, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose), and I'm okay with that.
Archer "Un Chien Tangerine"
It would be fascinating just to see a episode that is entirely flashbacks from Archer's childhood.
Legit "Cuckoo's Nest"
This reminded me a lot of the movie The Ringer which was surprisingly good (not better than I expected good, just plain good). There's definitely a lot of poking fun at the handicapped people, sure, but it has most of them every bit Jim's match and finds a really interesting new slant on the standard "competing for a girl" story. By the way, props on Rachel Blanchard for not aging. She looks essentially the same as she did in her Clueless days.
The Walking Dead "This Sorrowful Life"
Personally, I don't know where I stand on Merle. He is one of the more interesting characters, and the prison group is sorely lacking of a real edge since Shane was killed off. Sure, Daryl can be a bit of a curmudgeon and Rick does some dubious things, but we never question their motivations. Merle was genuinely interesting in that way. Then again, he tended to dominate scenes he was in so, unless they could make every character as interesting as him, it was going to be pretty one-sided whenever he's in the room. So, farewell Merle. I will miss you.
Shameless "Civil Wrongs"
I could question what Frank's story has to do with anything, or I could be happy that his hijinks aren't ruining the lives of any other cast members. I'll go with the later.
I'm about to take what I assume is a slightly minority opinion. I'm with Steve, er, Jimmy in this. This isn't absolving him of blame in the situation. He basically gave up everything to be with Fiona and there seems to be little appreciation for that. Granted, he pursued her, is hiding his secret wife that he is still being watched. His biggest problem is that he can't break the law (which, to be fair, effectively neuters him when hanging with the Gallaghers). He is certainly more elitist than the rest of the bunch and can be whiny. That doesn't mean his problems are without merit. What I'm saying is, that as much as I like Fiona, she should've seen it coming that Jimmy would be looking for a way out. They have a pretty one-sided relationship which on her as much as it is on him.
House of Lies "Exit Strategy"
You know the drill. I stopped caring a while ago. Despite how much I like the cast, I find the show to be really uneven. For example, this week, I realize that I have no sense of tension from Marty starting up his own company. This isn't the men of Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce conspiring in the night to create their startup. This is Marty being irritated, looking for office space, and assuming Jeannie will follow him. They've spent so little time focusing on his job or office politics that this move means little to nothing to me as a viewer.
Californication "Blind Faith"
You know, an episode like this would mean a lot more to me if I thought there was any chance that Faith would be sticking around. The episode was definitely not about Hank. The scene with him and Faith in the church was pretty vintage Californication shock value. I am wondering, are they setting up to get rid of Becca for a good while or is this just setup for the hiatus before the next season.
How I Met Your Mother "The Time Travelers"
Here I thought I was watching a forgettable bottle episode. Most of the way through, I though this was a pretty standard HIMYM episode. It was having a lot of fun with the future Ted and Barney gimmick and was clever enough. The stories were all pretty slight and I thought the show had moved past these kind of stories (much to my dismay). Then out of fucking nowhere it had my favorite sequence of the season (possibly several seasons). The realization that Ted was in the bar alone the whole time hit me in a way I doubted it could do anymore. In one fell swoop, I am excited about meeting the mother. Most encouraging of all is all the mentions of the mother's life, because it almost sounds like she'll be used as a character next year. I'm trying not to read into this episode too much, but that ending was really damn good.
New Girl "Chicago"
Jess doing Elvis, hilarious and awkward.
Nick's eulogy, well delivers.
Winston's breakdown, predictable yet enjoyable.
Schmidt's coat issue, over-the-top in the way only he can pull off.
Margo Martindale a Nick's mother, pretty perfectly done.
Bill Burr as a cousin, nice to see and even nicer to see that they didn't try to pass him off as being a Chicagoan.
Nick Kroll in character mode, not something I tend to enjoy and this was no exception.
Go On "Matchup Problems"
The only problem with cast reunions within a different show is that you want to see the old dynamic of the characters, not necessarily the new one they try with the actors. Sometimes the new spin works. Other times it leaves you wishing there was more winking at the camera and meta referencing. The Perry/Cox reunion definitely falls in the later category. Had it been anyone other than Courtney Cox playing the widow, I would've been bothered by the annoying friends competing for a girl story. I am glad the the show realizes that White and Perry are one of the shows best pairings.
Did anyone else notice that we were missing a lot of regulars this week (no Steven, no Danny, no Owen, still no Carrie) and the cast still felt full?
The Mindy Project "Danny's Friend"
Despite everything, this show consistently has my favorite one lines each week. I attempting to take notes on the show this week and all I wrote down was a bunch of lines I like such as "The statue of Liberty, she'd like legit hot" and "I will not move to St. Paul and become a Travel Agent. That is a dying business."
One thing I had trouble getting past: I have a really hard time believing Danny would give out prescriptions like that, even to an old friend. I get that it established the guy as a life-long friend and it was supposed to show his roots, but it hurt my respect for that character possibly more than it was meant to.
Cougar Town "The Old Town"
Ms. Partridge in the house! I can't quite break it down, but this episode had everything working. I find it funny that in the dynamics of the show, it isn't weird at all to have Travis' mom, dad, step-dad, dad's girlfriend, mom's best friend, and dad's best friend just show up to his college party.
The Point of the Purge
Past Purges:
3/13-3/15 3/16-3/19
2/22-2/26 2/27 2/28-3/3 3/4-3/7 3/8-3/12
2/5-2/8 2/9-2/11 2/12-2/18 2/19-2/20 2/21
1/17-1/18 1/19-1/21 1/22-1/23 1/24-1/29 1/30-2/4
12/16 12/17-12/21 ...12/22-1/7 1/8-1/9 1/10-1/16
11/25-11/28 11/29-11/30 12/1-12/5 12/6-12/8 12/9-12/15
10/28-11/3 11/4-11/10 11/11-11/16 11/17-11/20 11/21-11/24
9/22-9/28 9/29-10/4 10/6-10/12 10/13-10/19 10/20-10/27
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