Past Purges
Agents of SHIELD "T.R.A.C.K.S."
This show may have finally figured it out. Last week's episode at the academy was thoroughly enjoyable and had the sense of humor the show desperately needs. That continued with this episode including Fitz attempting to be American and Simmons' elaborated backstories (complete with Stan Lee cameo). In addition to that, the episode was structured wonderfully. I'm a sucker for anything that tells the same story from different perspectives and they found a way to do it that didn't get tedious and changed the meaning of previously seen events. The only thing working against the episode was when Skye was shot, my thought was "I could see how this show could survive without her" rather than "oh no, not Skye!", which must be indicative of two things: 1) I'm a heartless monster and 2) they've still not made her into an invaluable character.
Brooklyn Nine Nine "The Party"
It seems like they are doing a lot of softening of Holt in the past few episodes. Andre Braugher continues to be gloriously dead-pan but was seeing the different shades of it. I think it's safe to call him the Ron Swanson of Brooklyn Nine Nine (which is my equivalent to the Peabody). They also did right by Peralta, having him figure out why Kev doesn't like the squad. This was the first time I can remember Sgt. Jeffords coming off like the superior officer besides Holt and it brought me back to his Everybody Hates Chris days. Finally, smart use of Gina. She's an established sociopath at this point, so having her in a room with psychologists is a given for laughs.
New Girl "Exes"
I liked the episode, don't get me wrong. Winston continues to be weird and funny on the sidelines. Schmidt got to be both likable and excessive. Fun guest turns from Adam Brody and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. Now for the negative. New Girl is not a good build show. It is funny, no doubt. It does not rely on escalation as much as, say, Modern Family, Frasier, Malcolm in the Middle. That's just not what it does. So, when the episode reaches a cresendo of crazy, with Croline pounding on the door, Berkley confessing his love to Jess, Nick celebrating being correct, and Schmidt, Coach, and Winston's plan crumbling, it's nothing more than chaos without laughter. It wasn't bad. It was loud for the sake of being loud. you know what would've fixed this: Prince.
Trophy Wife "Foxed Lunch"
I've come to realize that this show is about the combinations. Mix the wrong characters and it can be problematic. That's probably what hurt the episode the most for me. Kate and Jackie is among my least favorite pairs and the unoriginal story didn't help. Diane and Hillary can be good together but we just had that last week and playing on their competitiveness (also a story that's been done to death before) is not a great use. Then there's Pete, Bert, and Warren. The show has had trouble finding the comedic use of Bradley Whitford on this show (don't get me wrong, he can be very funny when used well) and it felt like a waste to give him all the big moments, leaving MVPs, Bert and Warren with nothing to do. (And this was a completely overused story too). Lastly, no Natalie Morales. C'mon!
Cougar Town "Hard on Me"
I want to try a popsicle made of cough syrup and red wine now. Like, the next time I get a cold, that will be my project. Beyond that though, I liked the black robed cult of the sick. It was a funny gag, even when overused, I still found funny. I remember the sentimentality being less on the nose in Scrubs than it was between Chick and Jules though.
The Middle "Hungry Games"
What is it about episodes involving the church the yields such great results for this show? As soon as I heard them say they had to go to church first before the buffet, I got excited. I thought it was strange that Axl didn't get a chat with Minister Peele. It sure payed off with his explosion at the end ("We win ugly. That's just how we roll."). Few shows are as genuinely touching as The Middle when it wants to be.
Suburgatory "The Birds and the Biederman"
I can't be the only one who feels like producers are bored. Tessa gets a moment of growth. George and Dallas comes to terms with the breakup. Lisa acts awkward and funny. Sheila was too intense for her own good. Fred is creepily open with Victor. Dalia is deadpan and awesome. Nothing wrong with any of it. Nothing remarkable either.
-Is June the girl from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, and if so, why do I know that?
-Anyone else catch that they mentioned Noah but we've yet to see him this season.
Modern Family "iSpy"
You win ABC. My DVR messed up and they are being douches about posting the episode. Let's just assume that Phil does something ridiculous, Cam and Mitchell get in a fight, and Gloria says a word that she can't pronounce very well in English.
The Big Bang Theory "The Locomotive Manipulation"
The only part of this episode that matters is the Amy/Shelden kiss. The writers have been very cautious to parcel out the steps in the relationship painfully slowly, so that was a relief to see. I was much more excited by last season when Shelden was direct with her about his discomfort with affection. That was more telling. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be interested in this slow pace. Glad to see that Penny and Leonard are becoming the "awful people couple". It's about time the show embraced that rather than this "they kind of hate each other" thing that's been going on too long.
The Crazy Ones "Dead and Improved"
This was easily the most forgettable episode of my multi-day purging of a week of DVRed shows. All I remember is a sexy Charmin commercial and pallbearers dancing with a casket. I assume that's all I needed to take away from it.
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