Sarcasm aside, I don't like going over the week mark because that means I can't keep up with everything I'm watching. If I can't keep up, I should cut back. I don't want to cut back. You see where I'm going here. Whatever. Here you go.
Past Purges
Gotham "The Fearsome Dr. Crane"
Ooooooh, now I get it. We aren't dealing with humans. That's not what we're watching on this show. We are watching characters from a comic book. No matter how much, at times, they shoot this to look real, it's a comic. Gordon's courtship of Dr. Thompkins isn't clunky talk about lipstick. It's panels from a page come to life. The medical examiner getting caught with the body parts isn't over the top. It's a perfect frame job shown a frame at a time. How else does that final scene with Fish running at the other guy work? I'm embarrassed that it took me this long to figure it out.
Parks & Recreation "Donna and Joe"
I like where things are going. Leslie has moved beyond the desire for political office. Ben gets a second chance at public office. Tom's relationship is going well. Donna's married. Garry gets to finally be called by his real name. April is the best Matron of Honor ever (or at least for Donna). Rachel Dratch shows up. All good things.
Agent Carter "The Iron Ceiling"
Peggy finally gets to prove her worth to the men in her job and she has a blast doing so. Thompson gets to be a character more than he was previously, although it still fits neatly into "roles you expect Chad Michael Murray to play". It looks like things are going to go down next week and I'm very excited for that.
New Girl "Swuit"
Nick and Schmidt trying to argue with each other but still agreeing to talk to each other and have a conversation before going to bed like always is pretty adorable. I like that the show tried to give Winston, Coach, and Cece a story (in another classic Winston and Coach messaround) although I didn't love what they chose.
The Mindy Project "No More Mr. Noishe Guy"
Big episode! I tracked the episode count. I guess this would be the first episode written after a back nine was picked up. I don't know if that's how the season was produced but it would make a lot of sense with all the narrative turns. Mindy wants to move to San Franscisco. Peter is moving to Austin. Danny bought a brownstone. Oh, and Mindy is pregnant!?!? I'm gonna need a minute.
Cougar Town "Even the Losers"
I wonder what things my mom has supported due to "mom goggles".
Arrow "Uprising"
Aaaaaaaaand, he's back. That didn't last long. It's probably for the best. The rest of the crew was pretty scattered. That was a pretty big episode for midseason, what with the battle of the Glades and all. Should I be preparing myself for super villain Brandon Routh soon?
Fresh Off the Boat "Pilot" & "Home Sweet Home School"
I am immediately on board*. This show already has a clear, strong, and distinct voice. Being only a little younger than Eddie in 1995, it's immediately hooked me with nostalgia. More importantly, these characters are all great. Constance Wu impressed me right away. I don't remember seeing her in anything before, but she jumps out of this. There's hints of Jane Kazmerik from Malcolm in the Middle in what she does that makes just about everything she says (or everyone she hits with her car) funny. I'm still waiting to love Randall Park as the dad, but I've seen him in enough things before to know it's a matter of "when" not "if". Eddie is funny so far with his hip-hop swagger, but I could easily see him falling back to being the narrator yet not the lead. I'm still working on figuring out the brothers. They just need time to distinguish themselves.
One thing that immediately impressed me in the pilot is that the parents took Eddie's side when he got in the fight. And, it wasn't that thing where the parents defend him in front of others but scold him later. They appreciate him sticking up for himself. I have a very good feeling about this show. Good job, ABC!
*Not an intended pun.
Modern Family "Rash Decisions"
I liked the stories that got time, especially Mitchell doing the dirty work for Claire to save her from being hated in the office (and because he loves that stuff) or Luke telling Phil that he wasn't entirely ready to be a rebellious teen yet. No, my issue this week is that there were too many plates spinning. Did we even get a resolution to Alex's interview? Why was Haley being so awful? Those two normally don't get along but this was worse than usual. I also didn't get how much Cam loved having Stella. I gets that's what they wanted me to think, but it felt like "telling" not "showing. It was a good episode, just a bit too busy.
The Americans "Baggage"
That was brutal seeing Phillip and Elizabeth breaking Annalise's body to fit in the suitcase, but somehow not as brutal as Stan desperately looking for a connection with a loved one (leaving the message for his son, visiting his estranged wife) after Oleg nearly dropped him. I'm glad to see Nina is still around. That we still are following her in that prison leads me to wonder what to expect from her for the rest of the season. How long before she gets out and what will her role be?
The Big Bang Theory "The Troll Manifestation"
Three episodes into the new year and we haven't had an episode that really feels like a group episode. This one is neatly divided between the genders. The girls are rotating between embarrassing activities of their's that are on record (Penny's movie, Bernadette's pageant, and Amy's fan fiction). The guys track down a troll, leading to a Stephen Hawking cameo. Surely it's just a coincidence that The Theory of Everything is in theaters now and Oscar voting is still open.
Girl Meets World "Gilr Meets Farkle's Choice"
I'm not convinced of a lot of things in this week's episode.
1. That there's any chance Riley and Maya would fight over Farkle
2. That A top hat is a fashion choice that anyone, even Sabrina Carpenter should be making.
3. That Canada is really the US's greatest ally. They strike me more like that roommate you bring along with you to a party because he's already with you when you decide to leave the house.
4. That Lucas can conveniently disappear for an episode when Riley and Maya need to fight over Farkle.
5. That those two bullies didn't watch clips of Frank Stecchino and Joey the Rat in preparation for this episode.
6. That Ava Morgen Stern won't need massive therapy by the time she's an adult.
Mulaney "Ruby"
At this point I'm playing a game where I guess if the episode Fox is airing is from the originally produced set from last year or the batch being made when production was halted. I'm going with "original set" for this one.
Brooklyn Nine Nine "Windbreaker City"
Like the franchise itself, Brooklyn Nine Nine forces me to ask how much Die Hard is too much. And, like the Die Hard franchise (I've seen every installment), I still watching. This was a lesser "Tactical Village" but still quite entertaining. There was a surprisingly limited use of Eva Longoria as a guest star. I like it. It's just strange. Normally shows use a guest as much as possible while they have them.
Line of the week: "Rules are rules. I'm a badass, not an anarchist."
Better Call Saul "Uno"
Maybe Saul can lead a show after all. I was thoroughly engaged for this hour and it really did feel like a Saul origins story rather than Breaking Bad fan fiction. It's going to be a while before I am able to look at this as its own thing, but the writers are having fun with that, doing things like only having a single scene with Mike, knowing we want more. This is an exciting beginning.
The Walking Dead "What Happened and What's Going On"
I'm going to miss Tyrese.
It's interesting seeing who gets killed off. Tyrese, for example, was beloved but not untouchable. I liked elements of his delusions but they did become a bit much by the end.
Girls "Cubbies"
Oh good lord. Hannah's "apology" letter. I want to complain about the predictable machinations of TV, but that really is how I imagine things would turn out if Hannah enrolled in an MFA program. Now on to Gillian Jacobs. Yay!
Looking "Looking Down the Road"
I was sad to see Dom and Lynn split up, as they were a nice, calm, stabilizing couple for the show (for, like, 3 episodes). I'm curious to see how Agustin at the new job will go. It strikes me as a position he's taking to try to force betterment in himself rather than letting it happen, so I could see this blowing up in his face. Speaking of things blowing up. Oh, Patrick. I just want you to be happy. Please get your shit together and go after someone who is actually available.
Gotham "The Scarecrow"
Ok, I'm just going to embrace all the origins. Bring on Batman, as I thought was going to happen with Bruce this week when he fell down the hole. Bring on the Scarecrow. I only figured out that's the character they were creating with the guy's son based on the episode title. Bring on Robin. I don't remember if they specifically mentioned the flying Graysons, but when there's mention of a circus, I assumed there's trapeze. I'm not sure I understand how Fish was able to take over that group, but I do believe that she'd find a way to do so. I have to wonder what the end is going to be for this mob war.
Better Call Saul "Mijo"
They are certainly more concerned with making Jimmy appear sympathetic but on a smaller scale than Walter White, who needed a big setback to justify his big change. Jimmy looks to be a much different kind of slow burn. For him, it's battling his descent into Saul Goodman. He has "Slippin' Jimmy" in him and that's going to get him into trouble. He didn't have to save the twins though. He chose to. He seems determined to do a good job as a public defender. He turns down Nacho's original office. He's trying to be good. Better Call Saul looks to be a story about how you can't fight who you really are.
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