Past Purges
The Big Bang Theory "The Cooper Extraction"
I like the structure of the episode. It hints at something close to A Christmas Carol but does something of it's own with it. There's a big variety of types of stories and they mesh well. Even though I didn't love the episode, I appreciate that they did something different with it.
-I'm not wrong in remembering a time when Stuart was the coolest of the guys, to the point that he dated Penny before Leonard, right?
-Every once in a while, they need to remind me that Kaley Cuoco is unbelievably attractive like this one did.
The Crazy Ones "The Intern"
It makes sense that Zach would be the one still up on youth culture. Ashley Tisdale is a smart pick for her character in this, considering she's basically Sharpay. I think it is interesting that Zach and Lauren making out last week pretty much led to what they did this week without commenting on it as a direct consequence.
The Micahel J Fox Show "Christmas"
OMG. Sting! Like everything in this show, if this was 1987, I'd be stoked. In all seriousness, definitely a good use of a guest star. The episode hit one of my sweet spots too with Eve. I'm a sucker for gentiles picking up yiddish.
Parenthood "All That's Left is the Hugging"
The episode brought something up that I never before considered: What happens to all the victory cake for the loser of an election? Wouldn't it suck if that was the best cake you ever had in your life? There's some fallout from the election, which is better than the actual election story. I laughed every time someone talked about how good a mayor Kristina would've been. Joel and Julia's story is going to get better before it gets worse. No idea why she went to Roy's Ed's house in the first place. That couldn't end well...and it didn't.
-One thing's for sure after this episode: I'm never going to be able to feel bad for Drew. For a nervous, sheepish kid, he has a steady rotation of hot girls. How long before they cast Aimee Teegarden to start dating him.
-Did anyone else lose track of how many times Amber cried? I'll miss Ryan.
-I wonder why there was no Jasmine.
-I knew I should've done an over/under for how long before Sarah slept with Kyle Bornheimer.
SNL "John Goodman/Kings of Leon"
A lot of music this week. Like, a lot. Kings of Leon of course. The monologue is a song. The snowflake dance. The H&M song. John Goodman in drag dancing to music. None of my favorite parts were the music, but that's not to say they were a drag or anything. A few other scattered thought:
-I assume the Mimi impersonation was one Aidy Bryant never thought she'd have a use for.
-The three wise guys sketch was...not funny, but it was fun. We'll call it a draw.
-Drunk Uncles and Black Santa made for two of the stronger Weekend Update guests this season.
-I find the Nasim Pedrad classroom sketch extremely enjoyable. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the simplicity of it.
-I'm not sure how I feel about The Christmas Whistle. It was annoying, sure. I also found it funny. Can something be incredibly irritating and humorous?
-The Donnelly's sketches as some of the weirdest in the 12:55 slot and work so well due to how awkward they are to sit though. I almost lost it when McKinnon got beard stuck in her mouth.
How I Met Your Mother "Bass Player Wanted"
I hate being so binary but with maybe one exception (The at least, clever "Bedtime Stories") this season breaks down into two types of episode: With Mother good and without Mother bad. It's not that Christin Milioti is that good, although I've thoroughly enjoyed her so far. When they use her though, it's like the writers are engaged in a way they haven't been in a while.
I just binged the first two seasons of HIMYM this weekend and that is a show. In those days it was a show that didn't shy away from its heart and nearly weekly either invented or called back something quite memorable.
You virtually needed a glossary to follow all the references created in that world. This episode went back to all of that. "Bass Player Wanted" was packed with callbacks (The telepathic conversations, the slap bet, Pause/Unpause, and Aldrin Justice from seasons past, Linus and "The Kennedey Package" from this season, and introducing "The Dream" from this episode).
There were a couple genuine moments such as Barney and Ted talking about him moving (I'm tired of him being in love with Robin, but I'll take what I can get), which seriously impressed me because they let the scene end on an authentic note rather than undercutting it with a cheap laugh.
Oh, and I've determined that if I can't have Ted and the Mother together, I'll take some cat and mouse showing how they are perfect for one another. The only part of the episode that didn't work for me was the plot device that is Darrin. I like Andrew Rannells in general but he only existed in this episode as an easy way to stir up trouble. Where the characters ended up though I liked, so I'll forgive it.
More that anything, this episode reminded me that I'm still rooting for it. I complain a lot and I feel like I always have a negative caveat ready. In the end though, I'm just a fan who wants it to be as good as it has been in the past.
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