Past Purges
The Middle "The Potato"
Am I understanding this correctly? Brick has been taking what all sound like advanced courses and instead of talking about him skipping grades, he has to do homework from the lesser classes? I can't say I'm the biggest fan of that plot.
Back in the Game "Play Hard or Go Home"
A couple touches I appreciated: 1) When it is revealed that the Cannon is teaching Terry a lesson, he admitted that he still slept with the flemmy woman "because she was there" instead of cutting to some ridiculous scene of them pretending to make noises to trick people. 2) The Cannon does in fact take the fundraiser money. They aren't trying to make us think he has a heart of gold beneath the gruff. He's a jerk, but he is her dad and they have their own way of handling each other that generally isn't nice. The ratings seem to be strong for this. I'm really hoping it at least pulls a full season order.
Modern Family "The Late Show"
I've mentioned how I'm trying to not be so hard on this show now, right? Anyway, I am. Overall, I thought a lot of this worked. I loved everything about Phil accidentally killing the birds nest and all the being haunted by all the bird colloquialisms. I'm not sure what the point of Claire seeing Luke's game was and why he was doing better. Struck me as a half-thought of a C-story. I'm glad they didn't shy away from
Jay beating Alex fairly. It fits him to be smarter than he lets on. I didn't love Cam and Mitchell's story. I prefer human-Cam over over-the-top Cam, but the story centered around that aspect of him, so it's hard for me to complain.
Parks & Rec. "Doppelgängers"
This is hardly a new idea for a sitcom, introducing mirror world characters. I liked the directions all of them went though. The two Rons were pretty epic being in a room together. April handled Teniffer (or however it is spelled) differently than I expected. Tom being replaced by a machine is just plain funny (I guess Rent-a-Swag isn't full time). Donna liking her mirror is a good direction to go as well, even if the mirror is a bit broad for my taste. I understand the laws of guest starring, but it was sad not to have Kristen Bell back or the return of Parker Posey. I could've done without Lelsie's pettiness, but she is running through a phase right now. Then there's Ben and Chris. I'm pretty sure they've given that exact speech about their working dynamic before but it's always fun to see in action.
The Big Bang Theory "The Raiders Minimization"
I wonder how long the writers were holding onto this idea? I liked anything about the guys examining the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I quickly tired of anything about Sheldon trying to ruin something Amy loves. The Leonard/Penny story had some good laughs. That's about all I'll say of that.
The Crazy Ones "Bad Dad"
I'm really uncertain what the takeaway from this episode is. It gets a little dark in showing how poor of a father Simon was/is but also comes to an "it's all fine now" conclusion. This show doesn't look like one that will function best going dark, so I like that they veered away, but it offers a curious direction this show can go. Overall good work from Robin and SMG (who was far less of a buzzkill this week). James Wolk is definitely my surprise favorite so far. He's not playing a particularly unique character, but he is playing it well and has chemistry with everyone. BTW, more Kelly Clarkson, please.
The Michael J. Fox Show "Teamates"
I could really do without the workplace stuff. I don't find it anywhere near as interesting as what happens on the home front. The aunt is coming into focus a little although I can't shake the Jenna from 30 Rock comparison after I saw that pointed out. While I am fully enjoying the show, I do think it is a show that is already plateauing. I don't see this being functionally different by March than it is now. And, there's room in the world for consistency.
Parenthood "Nipple Confusion"
With a cast this big, I sort of need a structure like bullet points to talk about it.
-Zeek and Camille: Sorry. I don't care. Sell the house or don't and move on. Debating bores me.
-Adam and Kristina: I don't think there was really a resolution here. Adam just made a 180. That's about it. It was a nice gesture though.
-Julia and Joel: They seem to be setting up for something. Hopefully this rift isn't too annoying when it fully happens.
-Crosby and Jasmine: Babies suck. Am I right?
-Drew: I'm a little disappointed he didn't fight his own battle. I hope there's some comeuppance for that. As it is, he keeps getting in good with girls that are disproportionately more attractive than him (perhaps this is jealousy speaking).
-Sarah: I'm glad someone addressed that it's hard to take her seriously. Also, I'm up for anything that keeps Hank around.
SNL "Bruce Willis/Katy Perry"
I don't know why, but I didn't care much for Willis hosting. I like him and when I go over the show in my mind, I have to say, he was game for anything, but it didn't feel right. I wasn't a fan of a lot of the sketches although I do think the performers did a great job. I don't think anyone was "phoning it in".
The Walking Dead "30 Days Without an Accident"
I don't know what the general consensus is on this episode but I really liked it. The walkers are still very much a threat but the mood isn't so dour amongst the lead characters. I like all the smiling. These people seem like friends or at least people who can enjoy having a good time. Obviously, the show will need some conflict soon, but I like that it begins with everyone taking a step back to reflect on how things are after this time jump. It never did occur to me what would happen if someone dies at night without warning. ****'s gonna go down next week.
HIMYM "The Poker Game"
Come on. I'm really trying to not be that guy who wines about every episode, but they are killing me with all these wedding weekend episodes. This episode had some HIMYM staples like multiple perspectives of the same flashback and callbacks like Marshall's wedding hair. The wedding weekend is starting to feel claustrophobic now. I'd like some time away from it, preferably with the GOD DAMN mother. I'm hoping that all these early episodes are just filler for a strong closing arch that will have all the marquee moments fans have been waiting 8+ years to see...no matter how doubtful I am they they could pull that off.
SHIELD "Eye Spy"
Baseball-related delay.
Brooklyn Nine Nine "The Vulture"
The cast is starting to gel. I like that they are continuing to separate Holt and Peralta. It has been to the benefit of the show. Dean Winters was a great bit of casting as the Vulture and made it easy to get Peralta and the rest of the squad against him. I will say, the detective work follows the Monk-level of viability. That screw-driver is hardly enough evidence to convict, but for a comedy, that suffices as good police-work.
New Girl "The Box"
As with most of this season, I enjoyed plenty of individual jokes (Jake Johnson riffing is always funny) but the plot did little for me. I don't get what was going on with Schmidt. It must've been funnier in planning than in execution. I get that Nick is irresponsible, but the denseness of it was a bit much.
The Mindy Project "Weiner Night"
Thank you Mindy for standing up for smart people who like stupid things. Granted, her level is a little lower on the "cultured" scale than my tastes, but I appreciate the stance regardless (and seriously, why ARE people being so hard on Katy Perry?). I have a little trouble buying the new romance though. It's great that the guy recognizes that he was being a prick, but even before that, there was very little chemistry between Mindy and Ginsberg. I can't wait for Adam Pally to get a 2 or 3 dimensional character.
Trophy Wife "The Breakup"
Baseball-related delay.
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