Quicky Opinion: Bells proved to be the shows strongest episode yet, in large part due to the fact that the episode was mainly about the male roommates, rather than Jess. Winston finally got a chance to shine, as we see him become ultra-competitive with handbells, and Nick and Schmidt clashed over what ultimately boiled down to their respective lifestyles. It was all very entertaining to watch and full of good moments. Jess was funny too, but this time the roommates stole the show. Quicky Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Schmidt: "You know you want in on this, man! A little fatty tune, yellow-T, Cali roll, Samurai snack. So scrummy!"
-Winston: "I'm losing my mind guys. I sometimes touch the frayed part of the power cord just to feel something"
-Jess: "I'm sorry guys. I should've told you but the community centre decided to turn our "rehearsal space" back into a "hallway", so I had nowhere to go.
-Jess: "These kids had a choice between early morning detention and music. And they all chose music!" Nick (feigning suprise): "No kidding?!"
-Dessarae: "Miss Day, can I eat some of these crackers up in here?" Schmidt: "No, no, no! Water crackers are for adults... to eat with adult cheese." Dessarae: "Can I eat a cracker sushi sandwich?"
-Two things women love: Alternative Percussion Players and Role Models..
-Jess: "I know handbells may not be the coolest instrument in the world. They may not even be the fifth coolest".
-Jess breaks into song a couple times this episode. "Winston and me playing bells every day- until Sunday. I'm cool".
-Schmidt: "I left you a check for $30 on your pillow. Your Nanny gave you that thing for free, so as far as I'm concerned, you're up 30 bucks". Nick: "My Nanny is dead! I'm not looking to make money off of her!"
-Jess: "[Hector] really wanted to play drums, so I told him bells were the next best thing, which was a lie so I couldn't keep a straight face while I was telling him. He saw right through me".
-Winston: "Eye Of The Tiger ended the Cold War". Jess: "That's not the least bit true."
-Winston: "Where are your eyes?" EnsemBell: "On the tiger."
-Nick: "I put your couch and your freezer in your room, Schmidt. I didn't want to get my "poor" on them."
-Schmidt: "Lotus Bear Relax! I can smell it on you right now!" Nick: "Stop smelling my hair!" Schmidt: "You know how much that stuff cost?" Nick: "I didn't use your conditioner!" Schmidt: "Why does your hair look so baby soft?!" Nick: "Fine, Schmidt. I ran out of shampoo, and I used your conditioner. We're talking about conditioner, right?" Schmidt: "You used it as SHAMPOO?! It's for moisture, Nick, not for cleaning. I can't believe we're friends!"
-Jess: "I love running this group. It gives me confidence. It gives me.. muscle definition. Yeah, sometimes it gives me blinding optical migraines so I literally can't see 3 feet in front of me".
-Nick: "I want friends who still lie to me because they don't want to hurt my feelings. I sadly kind of mean that".
-The gag of the Handbells concert being just a bunch of random people in the park was great, especially with their random outbursts.
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Glee: I Kissed A Girl
What Happened, Yo!:
-Following up on Mash Off's cliffhanger slap, Santana is about to be suspended for two weeks under the school's "Zero Tolerance on Violence" policy, when Finn claims she only stage slapped him and gets her off. He intends to get the New Directions and Troubletones together on an assignment to help Santana.
-Sue is worried about how the forthcoming attack ad will affect her, so she looks up one of her booty calls so people won't think she's a "friend of Ellen".
-The Senior Class President Election is almost here (finally) and Brittany seems like a sure thing to win. A worried Kurt considers rigging the election, JFK-style much to Rachel's alarm.
-Finn proposes Lady Music Week, where they do songs by ladies for ladies in order to get Santana to come to terms with herself and show how much they support her.
-Santana initially thinks the idea is stupid, but she quickly warms up to it by the end of the first half of the episode.
-Quinn invites Puck over because she wants to sleep with him. Puck tells her off and declines.
-Beiste is shocked to find out that her love interest Cooter is Sue's booty call. Cooter says he's still not sure what she wants, but he wants more than just a buddy.
-The student council elections are happening at the same time as the congress elections. People vote and stuff.
-The Glee girls come to Santana's defense when the Sophmore Rugby Captain tries to hit on her, because he sees her as a challenge.
-After the girls all sing I Kissed A Girl, Santana announces that she's come out to her parents who support her, and all she has to do now is come out to her grandmother.
-Kurt hears he won the election, but only because someone rigged it. He's the prime suspect for this.
-We find out that Rachel was the one who rigged the election. Finn tells her she has to come clean.
-When Beth hurts herself, Shelby calls Puck to the hospital/ Afterwards, they hook up but Shelby regrets it. Puck gets mad at her and tells her she missed out on something special, before leaving.
-Santana comes out to her grandmother, who rejects her because she didn't keep it a secret and basically disowns her. Santana is devastated.
-Beiste comes to challenge Sue for Cooter, but Sue has lost the election and decides she doesn't want to let go of Cooter. Beiste declares her love for him though and won't go down without a fight.
-Puck goes to Quinn who wants to get pregnant again. Puck refuses, and realizes that while everyone helped Santana with her non-secret, no one helped Quinn, who is a real mess. He holds Quinn and assumedly tells her his secret about him and Shelby. Really, Puck?
-Burt is now congressman. Kurt congratulates Brittany on her victory, even though he's devastated over his loss.
-Santana sings Constant Craving, which she says reminds her to stay strong. As she sings, we see Shelby regrets giving up Puck, and Kurt celebrates his dad's victory, even though he regrets his own loss, and we also see him finish his application to NYADA, even though he probably doesn't have a shot at getting in now.
-Rachel reveals to the room that she came clean about rigging the election and has put Kurt in the clear, but has been suspended for a week, is having this all put in her permanent record and is banned from competing in Sectionals. Twist!
I Liked This: Honestly, I Kissed A Girl worked the most for me when it was being downright poignant. Kurt losing the election, meaning his chances of getting into NYADA are pretty much zero, Santana getting rejected by the one family member she cares about the most, Rachel getting banned from Sectionals, Quinn being so desperate, she tries to get pregnant again, and even Beiste realizing she's losing her man to Sue (who feels he's the only good thing about her life after she loses the election). Moments like these were when the episode was at it's best. There's fascinating television in all of those moments. I'm glad Glee had Kurt lose the election (I'm even more glad he didn't lose because he was gay.), because it's realistic. The idealist doesn't always win. Dreams don't always come true. It's sad, but it's compelling and I'm actually finding myself interested in Kurt again. Rachel getting suspended and banned from sectionals is a good twist too, and a nice way to create more suspense for Sectionals. And once again, Naya Rivera had some terrific acting in this episode. Oh, and the whole Puck/Quinn/Shelby storyline didn't really bug me this week.
But...: All those moments of poignancy I liked were just moments in the midst of an episode with some real problems in it. For one thing, the show did a lot of telling but not showing with a couple big plot points. Why couldn't we see Santana getting support from her parents, instead of just hearing about it? Why was the congress election brushed to the side for much of the episode? I didn't even realize it was the week of the election until we saw the polling booth. Even with that ad, Sue losing so much support and Burt suddenly getting lots of support weren't even alluded to until Sue pulls out that paper showing she lost.
I also had issues with the assignment this episode. It's good that the clubs are showing Santana that they care about her, but Finn's idea for Lady Music Week seemed ill-conceived (though I imagine Glee will sell lots of singles through their song choices this week) and I don't really believe that Santana would've warmed up to that idea by the third song sung (an acoustic cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? Really, Finn?). The episode also just didn't seem to spend as much time on Santana's journey as it could've. And lastly, they may have explained why the bullies got away with slushy-ing people with a zero-tolerance violence policy, but there's still plenty of instances of violence on the show that they haven't justified, so I didn't believe that Santana should've been at risk of suspension.
The Bottom Line: I Kissed A Girl had some really good moments and ideas in it, but it was also kind of a mess of an episode that could've been better executed. The good stuff still manages to elevate the episode, but for grade-wise, I still feel like this episode was merely...
Grade: Enjoyable Enough (Pretty Good)
Memorable Moments
-Oh yeah. What was up with Puck's hair this week? It looks weird.
-Best Musical Number: I was a big fan of Constant Craving, because it was well done and worked well for the closing montage.
-Worst Musical Number: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun just didn't work for me.
-Somewhere along the line, Brittany turned from a legitimate candidate who was all about female empowerment, to Crazy Brittany Running For President and Winning Because She's Popular and Bribed People With Candy. And that's a bit of a shame. She's still funny though, so that's good.
-Sue was actually really funny this week between her not understanding why somebody might think she's a lesbian, and her book of booty calls.
-Santana was mainly showing her soft side this week, but I loved her claims that she has an evil alter-ego named Snix, whose actions she can't control.
-Santana: "Thank you, guys. Thanks, Finn. You know, with all the horrible things in my life, now I get to add that."
-Sue: "Why would someone assume I'm a friend of Ellen just because I'm mannish and highly aggressive and have short hair and I only wear track suits and I coach a girls' sport and I married myself? It just doesn't make sense."
-Artie: "Where's Rachel? She never misses applause."
-Following up on Mash Off's cliffhanger slap, Santana is about to be suspended for two weeks under the school's "Zero Tolerance on Violence" policy, when Finn claims she only stage slapped him and gets her off. He intends to get the New Directions and Troubletones together on an assignment to help Santana.
-Sue is worried about how the forthcoming attack ad will affect her, so she looks up one of her booty calls so people won't think she's a "friend of Ellen".
-The Senior Class President Election is almost here (finally) and Brittany seems like a sure thing to win. A worried Kurt considers rigging the election, JFK-style much to Rachel's alarm.
-Finn proposes Lady Music Week, where they do songs by ladies for ladies in order to get Santana to come to terms with herself and show how much they support her.
-Santana initially thinks the idea is stupid, but she quickly warms up to it by the end of the first half of the episode.
-Quinn invites Puck over because she wants to sleep with him. Puck tells her off and declines.
-Beiste is shocked to find out that her love interest Cooter is Sue's booty call. Cooter says he's still not sure what she wants, but he wants more than just a buddy.
-The student council elections are happening at the same time as the congress elections. People vote and stuff.
-The Glee girls come to Santana's defense when the Sophmore Rugby Captain tries to hit on her, because he sees her as a challenge.
-After the girls all sing I Kissed A Girl, Santana announces that she's come out to her parents who support her, and all she has to do now is come out to her grandmother.
-Kurt hears he won the election, but only because someone rigged it. He's the prime suspect for this.
-We find out that Rachel was the one who rigged the election. Finn tells her she has to come clean.
-When Beth hurts herself, Shelby calls Puck to the hospital/ Afterwards, they hook up but Shelby regrets it. Puck gets mad at her and tells her she missed out on something special, before leaving.
-Santana comes out to her grandmother, who rejects her because she didn't keep it a secret and basically disowns her. Santana is devastated.
-Beiste comes to challenge Sue for Cooter, but Sue has lost the election and decides she doesn't want to let go of Cooter. Beiste declares her love for him though and won't go down without a fight.
-Puck goes to Quinn who wants to get pregnant again. Puck refuses, and realizes that while everyone helped Santana with her non-secret, no one helped Quinn, who is a real mess. He holds Quinn and assumedly tells her his secret about him and Shelby. Really, Puck?
-Burt is now congressman. Kurt congratulates Brittany on her victory, even though he's devastated over his loss.
-Santana sings Constant Craving, which she says reminds her to stay strong. As she sings, we see Shelby regrets giving up Puck, and Kurt celebrates his dad's victory, even though he regrets his own loss, and we also see him finish his application to NYADA, even though he probably doesn't have a shot at getting in now.
-Rachel reveals to the room that she came clean about rigging the election and has put Kurt in the clear, but has been suspended for a week, is having this all put in her permanent record and is banned from competing in Sectionals. Twist!
I Liked This: Honestly, I Kissed A Girl worked the most for me when it was being downright poignant. Kurt losing the election, meaning his chances of getting into NYADA are pretty much zero, Santana getting rejected by the one family member she cares about the most, Rachel getting banned from Sectionals, Quinn being so desperate, she tries to get pregnant again, and even Beiste realizing she's losing her man to Sue (who feels he's the only good thing about her life after she loses the election). Moments like these were when the episode was at it's best. There's fascinating television in all of those moments. I'm glad Glee had Kurt lose the election (I'm even more glad he didn't lose because he was gay.), because it's realistic. The idealist doesn't always win. Dreams don't always come true. It's sad, but it's compelling and I'm actually finding myself interested in Kurt again. Rachel getting suspended and banned from sectionals is a good twist too, and a nice way to create more suspense for Sectionals. And once again, Naya Rivera had some terrific acting in this episode. Oh, and the whole Puck/Quinn/Shelby storyline didn't really bug me this week.
But...: All those moments of poignancy I liked were just moments in the midst of an episode with some real problems in it. For one thing, the show did a lot of telling but not showing with a couple big plot points. Why couldn't we see Santana getting support from her parents, instead of just hearing about it? Why was the congress election brushed to the side for much of the episode? I didn't even realize it was the week of the election until we saw the polling booth. Even with that ad, Sue losing so much support and Burt suddenly getting lots of support weren't even alluded to until Sue pulls out that paper showing she lost.
I also had issues with the assignment this episode. It's good that the clubs are showing Santana that they care about her, but Finn's idea for Lady Music Week seemed ill-conceived (though I imagine Glee will sell lots of singles through their song choices this week) and I don't really believe that Santana would've warmed up to that idea by the third song sung (an acoustic cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? Really, Finn?). The episode also just didn't seem to spend as much time on Santana's journey as it could've. And lastly, they may have explained why the bullies got away with slushy-ing people with a zero-tolerance violence policy, but there's still plenty of instances of violence on the show that they haven't justified, so I didn't believe that Santana should've been at risk of suspension.
The Bottom Line: I Kissed A Girl had some really good moments and ideas in it, but it was also kind of a mess of an episode that could've been better executed. The good stuff still manages to elevate the episode, but for grade-wise, I still feel like this episode was merely...
Grade: Enjoyable Enough (Pretty Good)
Memorable Moments
-Oh yeah. What was up with Puck's hair this week? It looks weird.
-Best Musical Number: I was a big fan of Constant Craving, because it was well done and worked well for the closing montage.
-Worst Musical Number: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun just didn't work for me.
-Somewhere along the line, Brittany turned from a legitimate candidate who was all about female empowerment, to Crazy Brittany Running For President and Winning Because She's Popular and Bribed People With Candy. And that's a bit of a shame. She's still funny though, so that's good.
-Sue was actually really funny this week between her not understanding why somebody might think she's a lesbian, and her book of booty calls.
-Santana was mainly showing her soft side this week, but I loved her claims that she has an evil alter-ego named Snix, whose actions she can't control.
-Santana: "Thank you, guys. Thanks, Finn. You know, with all the horrible things in my life, now I get to add that."
-Sue: "Why would someone assume I'm a friend of Ellen just because I'm mannish and highly aggressive and have short hair and I only wear track suits and I coach a girls' sport and I married myself? It just doesn't make sense."
-Artie: "Where's Rachel? She never misses applause."
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Terra Nova: Now You See Me
What Happened, Yo!:
-Taylor is going OTG for the next day. He and Skye talk about how the anniversary of her parents death from some serious disease I've forgotten the name of is very soon, and how when he gets back they'll walk to some memorial area.
-Heightened security measures are in place until the spy is caught. Because Washington is away, Jim is left in charge while Taylor is gone and hopes to track down the mole.
-Zoe's pet Ankylosaur is getting big and will have to be released soon. Zoe isn't happy about it.
-Skye still isn't happy that Josh ignored her and stole from his mother.
-Oh, and Skye is also the spy! And she accidentally left a blood sample for Jim and Reynolds to find!
-Taylor is examining the latest equations Lucas has left behind when Mira gets the jump on him and captures him.
-Skye volunteers to go on a detail with Josh so she can sneak away and meet up with her Sixers contact.
-It turns out that the Sixers are keeping her mother alive with a cure but will stop giving her the cure if Skye stops getting them information.
-Taylor and Mira trade info as Mira marches Taylor to her base. Lucas is apparently close to completing his work and hates Taylor because of something he did in Somalia.
-Mira is startled by a dinosaur, giving Taylor a chance to turn the tables and make her his hostage, but we see slashers are stalking them.
-Jim strong arms Malcolm into getting the DNA from the blood sample and the computer begins computing it.
-The Slashers attack and Taylor and Mira have to dive over a waterfall where they lose their guns.
-Determining that the Slashers are a young male and female who are staking out their region and being territorial, Taylor and Mira team up to fight them off.
-Reynolds tells Jim he intends to marry Maddy. Jim points out that she's only 16, so that's kind of creepy (well he doesn't use the word creepy. But it's kind of creepy.)
-Skye, who has the night shift on her medical internship, notices her DNA being computed. Later on, she sneaks into the lab and destroys it.
-Though the sample has been destroyed, by determining who had access to the centre, and using the info they could get from the DNA to narrow down gender, Jim narrows it down to 47 suspects.
-Mira and Taylor successfully fight off the dinosaurs.They admit they could've been a good team if they were on the same side and go their separate ways.
-Jim tells Reynolds he's a good kid and that he's a lot easier on him than Elizabeth's father was on Jim.
-The Shannons release the Anklyosaur into the wild and it quickly finds a bigger Ankylosaur.
-Skye and Taylor set off on their walk to the memorial area, with Taylor still unaware that she is the spy.
I Liked This: This episode continued the trend of pushing things forward towards a big conclusion. I'm fine with the reveal that Skye is the spy, because she's been underused these past few weeks and the justification of the reveal was well done. I had a feeling that Skye's mention that she hoped a cure for the disease that killed her parents would turn out to be significant, but the reveal that her mother was actually alive was an unexpected one. Plus Terra Nova made up for the past couple dino-sparse weeks with the Taylor/Mira plot (which was a pretty solid plot in general). And the dinosaurs all looked real good too. Way better than that swordfish from a couple weeks ago.
But...: The Taylor/Mira plot was mostly solid, but it suffered from some pretty clunky dialogue in parts. Also, Taylor and Mira were so casual with each other, it robbed the plot of a lot of it's urgency. Skye destroying her DNA sample also just seemed like a way to drag out the spy plot for another week. And while the Anklyosaur story was sweet, since this was only the second time we'd seen this thing, the emotional impact of it leaving didn't really land.
The Bottom Line: A rather solid episode with some issues as things begin to ramp up for the finale. I'm getting psyched as to where we're going with this.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Dinosaur Scene Count: 7!
-Best Dinosaur Moment: Taylor and Mira versus the Slashers.
-Reynolds continues to be awkward around Jim. It's good to see them interact more this week and their relationship develop, but I'm still hoping this is leading up to something.
-Oh, and how could Reynolds think that the middle of a spy hunt is the proper time to declare his intentions for Maddy? Silly Reynolds.
-Taylor is going OTG for the next day. He and Skye talk about how the anniversary of her parents death from some serious disease I've forgotten the name of is very soon, and how when he gets back they'll walk to some memorial area.
-Heightened security measures are in place until the spy is caught. Because Washington is away, Jim is left in charge while Taylor is gone and hopes to track down the mole.
-Zoe's pet Ankylosaur is getting big and will have to be released soon. Zoe isn't happy about it.
-Skye still isn't happy that Josh ignored her and stole from his mother.
-Oh, and Skye is also the spy! And she accidentally left a blood sample for Jim and Reynolds to find!
-Taylor is examining the latest equations Lucas has left behind when Mira gets the jump on him and captures him.
-Skye volunteers to go on a detail with Josh so she can sneak away and meet up with her Sixers contact.
-It turns out that the Sixers are keeping her mother alive with a cure but will stop giving her the cure if Skye stops getting them information.
-Taylor and Mira trade info as Mira marches Taylor to her base. Lucas is apparently close to completing his work and hates Taylor because of something he did in Somalia.
-Mira is startled by a dinosaur, giving Taylor a chance to turn the tables and make her his hostage, but we see slashers are stalking them.
-Jim strong arms Malcolm into getting the DNA from the blood sample and the computer begins computing it.
-The Slashers attack and Taylor and Mira have to dive over a waterfall where they lose their guns.
-Determining that the Slashers are a young male and female who are staking out their region and being territorial, Taylor and Mira team up to fight them off.
-Reynolds tells Jim he intends to marry Maddy. Jim points out that she's only 16, so that's kind of creepy (well he doesn't use the word creepy. But it's kind of creepy.)
-Skye, who has the night shift on her medical internship, notices her DNA being computed. Later on, she sneaks into the lab and destroys it.
-Though the sample has been destroyed, by determining who had access to the centre, and using the info they could get from the DNA to narrow down gender, Jim narrows it down to 47 suspects.
-Mira and Taylor successfully fight off the dinosaurs.They admit they could've been a good team if they were on the same side and go their separate ways.
-Jim tells Reynolds he's a good kid and that he's a lot easier on him than Elizabeth's father was on Jim.
-The Shannons release the Anklyosaur into the wild and it quickly finds a bigger Ankylosaur.
-Skye and Taylor set off on their walk to the memorial area, with Taylor still unaware that she is the spy.
I Liked This: This episode continued the trend of pushing things forward towards a big conclusion. I'm fine with the reveal that Skye is the spy, because she's been underused these past few weeks and the justification of the reveal was well done. I had a feeling that Skye's mention that she hoped a cure for the disease that killed her parents would turn out to be significant, but the reveal that her mother was actually alive was an unexpected one. Plus Terra Nova made up for the past couple dino-sparse weeks with the Taylor/Mira plot (which was a pretty solid plot in general). And the dinosaurs all looked real good too. Way better than that swordfish from a couple weeks ago.
But...: The Taylor/Mira plot was mostly solid, but it suffered from some pretty clunky dialogue in parts. Also, Taylor and Mira were so casual with each other, it robbed the plot of a lot of it's urgency. Skye destroying her DNA sample also just seemed like a way to drag out the spy plot for another week. And while the Anklyosaur story was sweet, since this was only the second time we'd seen this thing, the emotional impact of it leaving didn't really land.
The Bottom Line: A rather solid episode with some issues as things begin to ramp up for the finale. I'm getting psyched as to where we're going with this.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Dinosaur Scene Count: 7!
-Best Dinosaur Moment: Taylor and Mira versus the Slashers.
-Reynolds continues to be awkward around Jim. It's good to see them interact more this week and their relationship develop, but I'm still hoping this is leading up to something.
-Oh, and how could Reynolds think that the middle of a spy hunt is the proper time to declare his intentions for Maddy? Silly Reynolds.
Monday 28 November 2011
Memorable Moments: The Simpsons: The Man In The Blue Flannel Pants
Quicky Opinion: The Man In The Blue Flannel Pants wasn't quite as good as the previous couple weeks, but it still managed to pack in lots of funny lines. Plus it used Mad Men to freshen up the standard "Homer get promoted" plot in funny and interesting ways. So season 23 continues being quite swell. Quicky Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Bart's corpse bride fantasy was pretty funny. Especially Homer's tearful response to the bride eating Bart's brains. "Why does she get to eat before the reception?"
-Milhouse: "Maybe for once, I'll win." Krusty: "Children of troubled marriages not eligible".
-Homer once hired an unauthorized Krusty look-alike for Lisa's first communion. Krappy the Klonk.
-Absolut Krusty Presents: Celebrating Friendship With The Stimsons
-Kurt has to go to the kid's party because he said the clown scared him.
-Mr. Burns: "I was in an anecdote once".
-Mr. Burns is asked to do a popular song for karaoke.: "Do you have anything by Prince... Wilhelm of Prussia?"
-Smithers: "As safety inspector, he hasn't really set the world on fire. Although, he came close several times."
-Robet Marlow: "Before you go any farther Simpson, it's my duty to warn you. Account men lose their soul". Homer: "Woohoo! No more church!"
-Homer: "Wow! I can't believe I'm eating steak with the mayor! The next time I vote for you, it's going to be on purpose!"
-Homer: "Could you be my dad?" Marlow: "If your mom was a secretary, there's a pretty good chance I am".
-Bart: "I'll get one of those jobs where you don't have to read like french fry maker or general!"
-Homer: "You can't touch electricity Marge. You can't feel it". Marge: "That's because it would kill you".
-Marge's confrontation with Marlow and the constantly switching backgrounds was great.
-Marlow: "I gave up on my family. Than I gave up on my other secret family. I missed my son's graduation, my father's funeral and my dog's best in show".
-Nelson: "You're reading a chapter book! For fun! Bully's! To me!"
-The bully's getting drawn into Little Women was also classic. "Bart needs to work on differentiating the character voices a little better". "I know. I keep thinking, why is Meg saying that and than I realize, it's Beth!"
-Secretary: "This is a whisper amplifying intercom!"
-Mr. Burns: "It's about time. We've been making small talk abotu Mussolini for 15 minutes!"
-Diversity Kittens on Melting Pot Mountain. Also great!
-Homer: "My co-workers are like a family. But in some ways, my family are like a family too".
-Mr. Burns: "How ironic. I survived the titanic by making a raft out of stirrage passengers. And now this".
-Homer falls off a waterfall but he survives AND finds gold.
-Homer: "Your worries are over. Now I'm back to being a boring old safety inspector at a nuclear power plant".
Memorable Moments
-Bart's corpse bride fantasy was pretty funny. Especially Homer's tearful response to the bride eating Bart's brains. "Why does she get to eat before the reception?"
-Milhouse: "Maybe for once, I'll win." Krusty: "Children of troubled marriages not eligible".
-Homer once hired an unauthorized Krusty look-alike for Lisa's first communion. Krappy the Klonk.
-Absolut Krusty Presents: Celebrating Friendship With The Stimsons
-Kurt has to go to the kid's party because he said the clown scared him.
-Mr. Burns: "I was in an anecdote once".
-Mr. Burns is asked to do a popular song for karaoke.: "Do you have anything by Prince... Wilhelm of Prussia?"
-Smithers: "As safety inspector, he hasn't really set the world on fire. Although, he came close several times."
-Robet Marlow: "Before you go any farther Simpson, it's my duty to warn you. Account men lose their soul". Homer: "Woohoo! No more church!"
-Homer: "Wow! I can't believe I'm eating steak with the mayor! The next time I vote for you, it's going to be on purpose!"
-Homer: "Could you be my dad?" Marlow: "If your mom was a secretary, there's a pretty good chance I am".
-Bart: "I'll get one of those jobs where you don't have to read like french fry maker or general!"
-Homer: "You can't touch electricity Marge. You can't feel it". Marge: "That's because it would kill you".
-Marge's confrontation with Marlow and the constantly switching backgrounds was great.
-Marlow: "I gave up on my family. Than I gave up on my other secret family. I missed my son's graduation, my father's funeral and my dog's best in show".
-Nelson: "You're reading a chapter book! For fun! Bully's! To me!"
-The bully's getting drawn into Little Women was also classic. "Bart needs to work on differentiating the character voices a little better". "I know. I keep thinking, why is Meg saying that and than I realize, it's Beth!"
-Secretary: "This is a whisper amplifying intercom!"
-Mr. Burns: "It's about time. We've been making small talk abotu Mussolini for 15 minutes!"
-Diversity Kittens on Melting Pot Mountain. Also great!
-Homer: "My co-workers are like a family. But in some ways, my family are like a family too".
-Mr. Burns: "How ironic. I survived the titanic by making a raft out of stirrage passengers. And now this".
-Homer falls off a waterfall but he survives AND finds gold.
-Homer: "Your worries are over. Now I'm back to being a boring old safety inspector at a nuclear power plant".
Friday 25 November 2011
Modern Family: Punkin Chunkin'
What Happened, Yo!:
-Kenneth, a former neighborhood kid who looked up to Phil is coming to visit on Thanksgiving.
-Kenneth reveals that he's become very rich and successful and he owes it all to emulating Phil and following his heart.
-When Luke wonders why Kenneth has gotten rich being like Phil and Phil hasn't, Phil decides it because Claire supresses him.
-After Claire criticizes his efforts setting the tables for Thanksgiving, he vents his frustrations at her.
-Meanwhile Manny has made a bad centrepiece for Thanksgiving, but Gloria insists on praising it and tells Jay not to be negative.
-Jay eventually tells Manny anyways, because he feels he could handle it. Manny takes it, but he clearly isn't happy about it.
-Also meanwhile, Cameron is telling his Punkin Chunkin' story, which is about how he and his friends allegedly shot a pumpkin across a football field and through the sunroof of the local preacher. When it ends a little flat, Mitchell makes the wah-wah sound and saves it. Cam does not appreciate this.
-Mitchell tells Cam to maybe stick with the stories that are true, but Cam insists Punkin Chunkin' happened.
-Lastly meanwhile, Alex distracts Hayley who inadvertantly dents the family van. Hayley wants Alex to keep it a secret, but Alex has a hard time with this.
-At the Thanksgiving dinner, all the tension comes to a head with the family dividing into camps based on who believes Cam's story. This means we have the Dreamers (Most of the characters) and the Pritchetts (Jay, Claire, Mitchell, Alex). They decide to settle once and for all if you can shoot a pumpkin across a football field.
-The dreamers try and fail, but the Pritchetts take pity on them and decide to help them, by adjusting the sling they're using and getting more pumpkins.
-Alex and Hayley come clean about the van just as a pumpkin finally makes it across the field and slams into the side, meaning it would've been dented anyways and they could've got away with it.
I Liked This: I haven't talked about Modern Family in a while, mostly due to timing issues, but I was a fan of Punkin Chunkin'. A lot of the elements in it are familliar (Claire, Mitchell and Jay being spoilsports isn't exactly breaking new ground), but there's plenty of comedy in it and they did find some new places to go with it. Phil and Luke continue to be a stellar combination, and the whole thing with the headscratcher was great. And the resolution of the realists helping the dreamers was sweet. Also, this is the second time in like two weeks that a character named Kenneth has been on a show I watch. I find that awesome.
But...: There was some weak moments to all the plots, and the Alex/Hayley story could've used at least one more scene before the conclusion. And while the resolution of the episode was sweet, it was a bit too predictable.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
The Bottom Line: Punkin Chunkin' was a solid Modern Family episode with lots of fun to be had, even with the rehashing of old themes.
Memorable Moments
-Luke's inexplicable hatred of Lily continues to be great for comedy. Especially his desire to try shooting her across the football field.
-Phil and Luke do the voice of the turkey while Claire prepares it. When she adds in "Tell my wife and kids I love them" as she puts the turkey in the oven, they find that too dark.
-Phil: "If I had a son he'd be like Kenneth Ploufe". Claire: "You do have a son".
-Phil: "I wouldn't say I was his hero". Claire: "You just did". Phil: "Because you weren't going to".
-Jay: "If you told him the truth he'd thank you later". Gloria: "Like Claire and Mitch, did they thank you?" Jay: "Not yet, but it's coming".
-Haley: "Saying nothing is not lying. It's just letting the truth speak for itself".
-Phil: "I love your 'I love you,' but I'm getting tired of your 'but.' Yeah I heard it."
-Kenneth, a former neighborhood kid who looked up to Phil is coming to visit on Thanksgiving.
-Kenneth reveals that he's become very rich and successful and he owes it all to emulating Phil and following his heart.
-When Luke wonders why Kenneth has gotten rich being like Phil and Phil hasn't, Phil decides it because Claire supresses him.
-After Claire criticizes his efforts setting the tables for Thanksgiving, he vents his frustrations at her.
-Meanwhile Manny has made a bad centrepiece for Thanksgiving, but Gloria insists on praising it and tells Jay not to be negative.
-Jay eventually tells Manny anyways, because he feels he could handle it. Manny takes it, but he clearly isn't happy about it.
-Also meanwhile, Cameron is telling his Punkin Chunkin' story, which is about how he and his friends allegedly shot a pumpkin across a football field and through the sunroof of the local preacher. When it ends a little flat, Mitchell makes the wah-wah sound and saves it. Cam does not appreciate this.
-Mitchell tells Cam to maybe stick with the stories that are true, but Cam insists Punkin Chunkin' happened.
-Lastly meanwhile, Alex distracts Hayley who inadvertantly dents the family van. Hayley wants Alex to keep it a secret, but Alex has a hard time with this.
-At the Thanksgiving dinner, all the tension comes to a head with the family dividing into camps based on who believes Cam's story. This means we have the Dreamers (Most of the characters) and the Pritchetts (Jay, Claire, Mitchell, Alex). They decide to settle once and for all if you can shoot a pumpkin across a football field.
-The dreamers try and fail, but the Pritchetts take pity on them and decide to help them, by adjusting the sling they're using and getting more pumpkins.
-Alex and Hayley come clean about the van just as a pumpkin finally makes it across the field and slams into the side, meaning it would've been dented anyways and they could've got away with it.
I Liked This: I haven't talked about Modern Family in a while, mostly due to timing issues, but I was a fan of Punkin Chunkin'. A lot of the elements in it are familliar (Claire, Mitchell and Jay being spoilsports isn't exactly breaking new ground), but there's plenty of comedy in it and they did find some new places to go with it. Phil and Luke continue to be a stellar combination, and the whole thing with the headscratcher was great. And the resolution of the realists helping the dreamers was sweet. Also, this is the second time in like two weeks that a character named Kenneth has been on a show I watch. I find that awesome.
But...: There was some weak moments to all the plots, and the Alex/Hayley story could've used at least one more scene before the conclusion. And while the resolution of the episode was sweet, it was a bit too predictable.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
The Bottom Line: Punkin Chunkin' was a solid Modern Family episode with lots of fun to be had, even with the rehashing of old themes.
Memorable Moments
-Luke's inexplicable hatred of Lily continues to be great for comedy. Especially his desire to try shooting her across the football field.
-Phil and Luke do the voice of the turkey while Claire prepares it. When she adds in "Tell my wife and kids I love them" as she puts the turkey in the oven, they find that too dark.
-Phil: "If I had a son he'd be like Kenneth Ploufe". Claire: "You do have a son".
-Phil: "I wouldn't say I was his hero". Claire: "You just did". Phil: "Because you weren't going to".
-Jay: "If you told him the truth he'd thank you later". Gloria: "Like Claire and Mitch, did they thank you?" Jay: "Not yet, but it's coming".
-Haley: "Saying nothing is not lying. It's just letting the truth speak for itself".
-Phil: "I love your 'I love you,' but I'm getting tired of your 'but.' Yeah I heard it."
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Terra Nova: Vs.
What Happened, Yo!:
-We discover that Mira's method of getting info about Terra Nova involves a bigger than normal, but not dinosaur-huge dinosaur.
-Taylor is interrogating Boylan, who claims to know nothing and that his only business with Mira was trading.
-It's almost time for the Harvest Festival and Zoe has landed the part of Commander Taylor in the kid's harvest play, which Maddy is overseeing.
-A drugged Boylan mistakes Jim for Taylor and tells him some cryptic thing about knowing about what's buried underneath the Pilgrim Tree. Jim finds a one-armed skeleton.
-Elizabeth is examining the skeleton.
-A soldier hits the dragonfly as it flies by the kid's rehearsing their show and Maddy finds that there's a microchip on it.
-Malcolm tells Taylor the dragonfly was like a prehistoric carrier pidgeon and tries to figure out how it's being controlled.
-Boylan is released and tells Jim he helped Taylor bury the body the night before he left the service and that's all he knows.
-Elizabeth finds through a time signature that the body apparently came between the second and third pilgrimage.
-Malcolm discovers the body and alerts Taylor. Jim claims a note led him to the body and that he suspects it was killed by a dinosaur. Taylor lets it go fornow.
-Malcolm hones in on the frequency used to control the dragonfly, fixes it's broken wing and releases it during the play to figure out where it was going.
-During the play, Jim and Elizabeth realize that Taylor's superior was a one-armed man who went missing around the same timeframe the man appeared. They deduce that he was probably coming to relieve Taylor of his command.
-The dragonfly goes to the Shannon's house, implying the spy is from there. Jim is arrested as the spy.
-Taylor tries to get him to drop the investigation but Jim won't and Taylor eventually tells him the truth.
-The people who sent the Sixers to Terra Nova want to drain it of it's resources, much like they ruined the future. They sent Taylor's son to work on two-way travel between Terra Nova and the future so this would be possible.
-Taylor found out and destroyed Lucas' research. A couple days later the general (also working with the guys from the future) appeared to relieve Taylor of command. Taylor won't relent, so he tries to kill him. Taylor kills the general first and banishes his son from Terra Nova. His son still carries on with his work and leaves equations for Taylor to find.
-Jim agrees to help Taylor fight and is released.
-Later it is implied that Taylor set the whole confrontation with Jim up.
-At the evening part of the Harvest Festival, Taylor welcomes a baby to Terra Nova and says how thankful he is for the colony.
-As fireworks go off, we see Lucas in the forest watching the fireworks.
I Liked This: This was a rather solid installment. We got a lot of answers this week and I liked them. The idea of corporations wanting to stripmine Terra Nova's resources is an interesting one, though I wonder if there's more to the story than what we heard. The whole mystery with the one-armed general was also well done (with the exception of one thing which I'll mention shortly), as was the latest development in the Jim/Taylor relationship. And Zoe playing Taylor in the play filled the adorable quota for the week.
But...: The dinosaur quoto this week went completely unfilled. They didn't even have other big prehistoric creatures to fill the void! Not even an establishing shot or a check in with that Anklyosaurus Zoe is supposed to be raising! What's up with that? On a more legitimate complaint note, though I liked the answers, I'm a bit disappointed in the manner we got them. I can accept that we basically got an info dump, with everything given in one monologue followed by one flashback, but I didn't feel that the show had earned that info dump, with the way the story was set up. Maybe if Taylor and Jim had had one more confrontation, before the arrest sequence, but oh well. And the fact that the play revealed the identity of the skeleton felt a bit too convenient for my tastes.
The Bottom Line: The answers could've been better delivered, but this was a rather solid episode of Terra Nova with plenty of answers, and a good way to start the lead-up to the forthcoming season finale. If only there were dinosaurs.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
Dinosaur Scene Count: Zero!
Best Dinosaur Moment: None!
-I also think the "Harvest Festival" was Terra Nova's sneaky way of doing a Thanksgiving episode.
-They have to reveal the spy next week. Right?
-The soldier who hit the dragonfly claimed he was doing it because he thought it was scaring the children. Sure. The children.
-Next weeks episode looks to make up for these past couple dino-sparse weeks. Excellent.
-We discover that Mira's method of getting info about Terra Nova involves a bigger than normal, but not dinosaur-huge dinosaur.
-Taylor is interrogating Boylan, who claims to know nothing and that his only business with Mira was trading.
-It's almost time for the Harvest Festival and Zoe has landed the part of Commander Taylor in the kid's harvest play, which Maddy is overseeing.
-A drugged Boylan mistakes Jim for Taylor and tells him some cryptic thing about knowing about what's buried underneath the Pilgrim Tree. Jim finds a one-armed skeleton.
-Elizabeth is examining the skeleton.
-A soldier hits the dragonfly as it flies by the kid's rehearsing their show and Maddy finds that there's a microchip on it.
-Malcolm tells Taylor the dragonfly was like a prehistoric carrier pidgeon and tries to figure out how it's being controlled.
-Boylan is released and tells Jim he helped Taylor bury the body the night before he left the service and that's all he knows.
-Elizabeth finds through a time signature that the body apparently came between the second and third pilgrimage.
-Malcolm discovers the body and alerts Taylor. Jim claims a note led him to the body and that he suspects it was killed by a dinosaur. Taylor lets it go fornow.
-Malcolm hones in on the frequency used to control the dragonfly, fixes it's broken wing and releases it during the play to figure out where it was going.
-During the play, Jim and Elizabeth realize that Taylor's superior was a one-armed man who went missing around the same timeframe the man appeared. They deduce that he was probably coming to relieve Taylor of his command.
-The dragonfly goes to the Shannon's house, implying the spy is from there. Jim is arrested as the spy.
-Taylor tries to get him to drop the investigation but Jim won't and Taylor eventually tells him the truth.
-The people who sent the Sixers to Terra Nova want to drain it of it's resources, much like they ruined the future. They sent Taylor's son to work on two-way travel between Terra Nova and the future so this would be possible.
-Taylor found out and destroyed Lucas' research. A couple days later the general (also working with the guys from the future) appeared to relieve Taylor of command. Taylor won't relent, so he tries to kill him. Taylor kills the general first and banishes his son from Terra Nova. His son still carries on with his work and leaves equations for Taylor to find.
-Jim agrees to help Taylor fight and is released.
-Later it is implied that Taylor set the whole confrontation with Jim up.
-At the evening part of the Harvest Festival, Taylor welcomes a baby to Terra Nova and says how thankful he is for the colony.
-As fireworks go off, we see Lucas in the forest watching the fireworks.
I Liked This: This was a rather solid installment. We got a lot of answers this week and I liked them. The idea of corporations wanting to stripmine Terra Nova's resources is an interesting one, though I wonder if there's more to the story than what we heard. The whole mystery with the one-armed general was also well done (with the exception of one thing which I'll mention shortly), as was the latest development in the Jim/Taylor relationship. And Zoe playing Taylor in the play filled the adorable quota for the week.
But...: The dinosaur quoto this week went completely unfilled. They didn't even have other big prehistoric creatures to fill the void! Not even an establishing shot or a check in with that Anklyosaurus Zoe is supposed to be raising! What's up with that? On a more legitimate complaint note, though I liked the answers, I'm a bit disappointed in the manner we got them. I can accept that we basically got an info dump, with everything given in one monologue followed by one flashback, but I didn't feel that the show had earned that info dump, with the way the story was set up. Maybe if Taylor and Jim had had one more confrontation, before the arrest sequence, but oh well. And the fact that the play revealed the identity of the skeleton felt a bit too convenient for my tastes.
The Bottom Line: The answers could've been better delivered, but this was a rather solid episode of Terra Nova with plenty of answers, and a good way to start the lead-up to the forthcoming season finale. If only there were dinosaurs.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
Dinosaur Scene Count: Zero!
Best Dinosaur Moment: None!
-I also think the "Harvest Festival" was Terra Nova's sneaky way of doing a Thanksgiving episode.
-They have to reveal the spy next week. Right?
-The soldier who hit the dragonfly claimed he was doing it because he thought it was scaring the children. Sure. The children.
-Next weeks episode looks to make up for these past couple dino-sparse weeks. Excellent.
How I Met Your Mother: The Rebound Girl
What Happened, Yo!:
-Marshall and Lily are going to sell their house at the suburbs, but after realizing how much bigger it is than their apartment, they decide to move in.
-Ted and Barney are both going through hard times, consider going gay but realize they can't do it. Then, both going through hard times, they decide they want to adopt a baby together.
-Robin freaks out when she hears that Lily and Marshall want to move to Long Island. She tries to get them to not do it and they decide to wait for a sign. Then their neighbor tells them that if they were selling their apartment, he'd give them a good price for it so they decide to sell.
-Ted begins to have second thoughts about adopting a baby with Barney, when Barney starts talking about things like getting a pet cobra. So Barney gets a real baby to try and convince Ted. Ted is worried about the origins of the baby, but likes the attention it gets from women so decides to go with it.
-As they begin to gather for Thanksgiving in Lily and Marshall's new house, Robin locks herself in the bathroom and refuses to leave until Lily and Marshall change their minds.
-Lily is surprised when Ted and Barney show up with a baby, and when Barney goes off to find diapers, she convinces Ted that this isn't a good idea after all.
-Marshall talks to Robin and figures out that she's upset about something else besides him and Lily moving.
-The baby is revealed to belong to Barney's brother who Barney had invited to Thanksgiving without telling Lily (Well he had sent the e-mail about it to her Compuserve account.). James tells Ted that it isn't crazy to want a baby, but it'll be better if he waits for the right person.
-Ted and Barney don't go through with adopting a baby. Barney talks to Robin and asks if they're still friends. She says she hopes so. Barney tries to pass the whole baby thing off as Ted's idea. He asks Robin if she could ever she him with a baby.
-Robin reveals that she's pregnant.
I Liked This: Holy crap! I did not see that twist coming. The whole Robin/Barney storyline just got turned on it's head and I'm genuinely excited to see where the writers are going with this. And the episode building up to it was pretty great too. I liked the jokes about Marshall and Lily's apartment being too small, especially with Robin breaking two lamps. And the whole flashback where Marshall considers whether or not he should leave his job at the bank and becomes convinced he should become a Ghostbuster, complete with Ernie Hudson asking him "Who you gonna call?" was easily the comic highlight of the episode. The baby plot was also funny, with HIMYM showing that Hurricane is a great baby name. And Barney not knowing what diapers are appropiate for a baby was good too. But man, that ending.
But...: As great as the twist was, there is the chance that this twist could derail the rest of the season if this storyline isn't handled right. I'm confident this won't be an issue though.
The Bottom Line: This was a great episode with a big twist at the end, that's sure to affect the rest of the season in an interesting way. As long as it's handled right. Which it should be.
Memorable Moments:
-Barney: "I don't think I even like girls anymore". Ted: "Based on all the stuff you've done with them over the years, I'm not sure you ever liked them."
-Barney on seahorses: "They have little pouches! They should be sea kangaroos".
-Future Ted: "Kids, I cannot stress this enough. Barney and I were going through a tough time."
-Barney: "A kid needs a pet cobra. Ted don't be pill about this."
-Robin: "Facts about Long Island: No. 1 It's Brooklyn's fart trail."
-Lily: "Ernie Hudson even begged you not to go through with it." Marshall: "Ernie Hudson is a coward."
-Marshall and Lily are going to sell their house at the suburbs, but after realizing how much bigger it is than their apartment, they decide to move in.
-Ted and Barney are both going through hard times, consider going gay but realize they can't do it. Then, both going through hard times, they decide they want to adopt a baby together.
-Robin freaks out when she hears that Lily and Marshall want to move to Long Island. She tries to get them to not do it and they decide to wait for a sign. Then their neighbor tells them that if they were selling their apartment, he'd give them a good price for it so they decide to sell.
-Ted begins to have second thoughts about adopting a baby with Barney, when Barney starts talking about things like getting a pet cobra. So Barney gets a real baby to try and convince Ted. Ted is worried about the origins of the baby, but likes the attention it gets from women so decides to go with it.
-As they begin to gather for Thanksgiving in Lily and Marshall's new house, Robin locks herself in the bathroom and refuses to leave until Lily and Marshall change their minds.
-Lily is surprised when Ted and Barney show up with a baby, and when Barney goes off to find diapers, she convinces Ted that this isn't a good idea after all.
-Marshall talks to Robin and figures out that she's upset about something else besides him and Lily moving.
-The baby is revealed to belong to Barney's brother who Barney had invited to Thanksgiving without telling Lily (Well he had sent the e-mail about it to her Compuserve account.). James tells Ted that it isn't crazy to want a baby, but it'll be better if he waits for the right person.
-Ted and Barney don't go through with adopting a baby. Barney talks to Robin and asks if they're still friends. She says she hopes so. Barney tries to pass the whole baby thing off as Ted's idea. He asks Robin if she could ever she him with a baby.
-Robin reveals that she's pregnant.
I Liked This: Holy crap! I did not see that twist coming. The whole Robin/Barney storyline just got turned on it's head and I'm genuinely excited to see where the writers are going with this. And the episode building up to it was pretty great too. I liked the jokes about Marshall and Lily's apartment being too small, especially with Robin breaking two lamps. And the whole flashback where Marshall considers whether or not he should leave his job at the bank and becomes convinced he should become a Ghostbuster, complete with Ernie Hudson asking him "Who you gonna call?" was easily the comic highlight of the episode. The baby plot was also funny, with HIMYM showing that Hurricane is a great baby name. And Barney not knowing what diapers are appropiate for a baby was good too. But man, that ending.
But...: As great as the twist was, there is the chance that this twist could derail the rest of the season if this storyline isn't handled right. I'm confident this won't be an issue though.
The Bottom Line: This was a great episode with a big twist at the end, that's sure to affect the rest of the season in an interesting way. As long as it's handled right. Which it should be.
Memorable Moments:
-Barney: "I don't think I even like girls anymore". Ted: "Based on all the stuff you've done with them over the years, I'm not sure you ever liked them."
-Barney on seahorses: "They have little pouches! They should be sea kangaroos".
-Future Ted: "Kids, I cannot stress this enough. Barney and I were going through a tough time."
-Barney: "A kid needs a pet cobra. Ted don't be pill about this."
-Robin: "Facts about Long Island: No. 1 It's Brooklyn's fart trail."
-Lily: "Ernie Hudson even begged you not to go through with it." Marshall: "Ernie Hudson is a coward."
Monday 21 November 2011
Memorable Moments: The Simpsons: The Book Job
Quicky Opinion: Wow. The Book Job was definitely the best episode of the 23rd season so far and also one of the better modern Simpsons episodes in general. Combining satire about books written by committee with a heist film parody, making good use of characters like Moe or Professor Frink, and filled with tons of great jokes (and two great guest stars), this episode will stick in my memory for a while to come now. Grade: Zoundas! (Almost Perfect)
Memorable Moments
-For the second time in the row, no opening sequence, but if the episodes are this strong, I'm fine with that.
-The opening scene at the Dinosaur Show was great, especially with many of the kids freaking out at the dinosaurs. Milhouse shouts: "Those aren't dinosaurs! Dinosaurs sing!" before throwing his Barney doll at one. Ralph simply says: "I wanna go back inside Mommy." and tries to re-enter the womb.
-Lisa is shocked that T.R Francis isn't a real person. "Everybody knows you got the idea for the series after an explosion at a crumpet factory knocked you off a double-decker bus. How could that be made-up?"
-Angelica Button adventures include "Angelica Button and the Chalice of Consequence", "Angelica Button and The Mystery of Secrets", and "Angelica Button and the Half-Blood Pudding"
-Patty has read "enough fantasy novels to choke a hippogriff". Books on her shelf include: "My Orthodontist Is A Werewolf", "The Body Snatcher In The Rye", "Epic Fail", and "Booze Cruise of the Dawn Treader."
-Moe has apparently written five moderately successful childrens books, including There's A Rainbow In My Basement.
-Bart: "All we need now is a computer guy". Cut to them at Professor Frink's house. Homer: "Do you have a computer?" Professor Frink: "Uh, uh yes." Homer: "You're in." Frink: "In what?".
-Bart: "Like no one ever writes for money, Lisa? I don't see your boyfriend William Shakespeare missing out on too many meals."
-Some of the vampire books/categories shown include "Vampire Umpire", "Pep Rally of the Damned", books on Vampirates, "Tru Blood" (in the Southern Vampire section), and "The Babybiters Club".
-Bart: "OK Gaiman, you're in. Your job is to get lunch".
-Book titles seen at the book fair include: "Girl With The 'How To Train Your Dragon' Tatoo" "The Bourne Exploitation", "The Porpoise Driven Life", and "Sit, Stay, Love" by Rufus.
-CEO Guy: “Is R.L. Stine here? Because you just gave me goosebumps.”
-CEO Guy: "Don't feel bad. Before we got our hands on Twilight, it was about a girl who falls in love with a golem. But teenagers weren't going to spend their allowances to join team Schmule".
-Patty: "How could they do this to our book?" Skinner: "It was the singular vision of seven people!"
-Homer is inspired by the words of Neil Gaiman. “British Fonzie is right.”
-Bart: “Rule Number One of book heist: never fall in love with the book!”
-Skinner: "Bart, remember the thousand-year war between the trolls and the ogres?" Bart: "Yeah". Skinner: "Now It's a dance contest at the vampire prom".
-Tween Lit Inc. World Headquarters. Warning: Difficult To Break Into.
-Best one of the phase title cards that pop up from time to time: The Actual Heist.
-CEO Guy: "So you thought you would un-ruin your book. If it's any consolation, you never had a chance". Homer: "Woohoo! All right".
-CEO Guy: "Oh, by the way. The audio book is only available abridged. A-BRIDGED! Hahaha!"
-Lisa: “I got the idea from every movie ever made.”
-Neil Gaiman: "I heisted myself to the bestseller list once again. And the most brilliant part is I don't even know how to read."
-My favorite of all the fake book titles though, has to be "To Kill A Mockingjay", because To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, and I just recently finished the Hunger Games Trilogy.
Memorable Moments
-For the second time in the row, no opening sequence, but if the episodes are this strong, I'm fine with that.
-The opening scene at the Dinosaur Show was great, especially with many of the kids freaking out at the dinosaurs. Milhouse shouts: "Those aren't dinosaurs! Dinosaurs sing!" before throwing his Barney doll at one. Ralph simply says: "I wanna go back inside Mommy." and tries to re-enter the womb.
-Lisa is shocked that T.R Francis isn't a real person. "Everybody knows you got the idea for the series after an explosion at a crumpet factory knocked you off a double-decker bus. How could that be made-up?"
-Angelica Button adventures include "Angelica Button and the Chalice of Consequence", "Angelica Button and The Mystery of Secrets", and "Angelica Button and the Half-Blood Pudding"
-Patty has read "enough fantasy novels to choke a hippogriff". Books on her shelf include: "My Orthodontist Is A Werewolf", "The Body Snatcher In The Rye", "Epic Fail", and "Booze Cruise of the Dawn Treader."
-Moe has apparently written five moderately successful childrens books, including There's A Rainbow In My Basement.
-Bart: "All we need now is a computer guy". Cut to them at Professor Frink's house. Homer: "Do you have a computer?" Professor Frink: "Uh, uh yes." Homer: "You're in." Frink: "In what?".
-Bart: "Like no one ever writes for money, Lisa? I don't see your boyfriend William Shakespeare missing out on too many meals."
-Some of the vampire books/categories shown include "Vampire Umpire", "Pep Rally of the Damned", books on Vampirates, "Tru Blood" (in the Southern Vampire section), and "The Babybiters Club".
-Bart: "OK Gaiman, you're in. Your job is to get lunch".
-Book titles seen at the book fair include: "Girl With The 'How To Train Your Dragon' Tatoo" "The Bourne Exploitation", "The Porpoise Driven Life", and "Sit, Stay, Love" by Rufus.
-CEO Guy: “Is R.L. Stine here? Because you just gave me goosebumps.”
-CEO Guy: "Don't feel bad. Before we got our hands on Twilight, it was about a girl who falls in love with a golem. But teenagers weren't going to spend their allowances to join team Schmule".
-Patty: "How could they do this to our book?" Skinner: "It was the singular vision of seven people!"
-Homer is inspired by the words of Neil Gaiman. “British Fonzie is right.”
-Bart: “Rule Number One of book heist: never fall in love with the book!”
-Skinner: "Bart, remember the thousand-year war between the trolls and the ogres?" Bart: "Yeah". Skinner: "Now It's a dance contest at the vampire prom".
-Tween Lit Inc. World Headquarters. Warning: Difficult To Break Into.
-Best one of the phase title cards that pop up from time to time: The Actual Heist.
-CEO Guy: "So you thought you would un-ruin your book. If it's any consolation, you never had a chance". Homer: "Woohoo! All right".
-CEO Guy: "Oh, by the way. The audio book is only available abridged. A-BRIDGED! Hahaha!"
-Lisa: “I got the idea from every movie ever made.”
-Neil Gaiman: "I heisted myself to the bestseller list once again. And the most brilliant part is I don't even know how to read."
-My favorite of all the fake book titles though, has to be "To Kill A Mockingjay", because To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, and I just recently finished the Hunger Games Trilogy.
Sunday 20 November 2011
The Office: Gettysburg
What Happened, Yo!:
-In the cold open, we learn Pam has been faking labor to get out of things she doesn't want to do. When her water breaks, it seems like it's happening for real, but it's another fake-out.
-Andy compares working in an office to war and wants to take the office to Gettysburg.
-Half of the office stays behind
-At Gettysburg, Dwight insists that Gettysburg is only the second-most northern battle of the city war, next to The Battle of Schrute Farms. Oscar thinks Dwight is nuts.
-Back at the office, Robert comes to visit and asks the rest of the office to come up with "game changers."
-Ryan's origami idea is rejected, but Kevin's "idea" about moving the best cookies in the vending machine to the stop spot is praised, because Robert confuses it for a metaphor. Ryan isn't pleased.
-At Gettysburg, Gabe is mistaken for Abraham Lincoln and soon finds himself putting on a play for tourists.
-Andy's efforts to inspire the office aren't working.
-Oscar and Dwight learn that Schrute Farms was in fact a part of the civil war, but as a commune for the sensitive, "fabulous", artist types and "The Battle At Schrute Farms" was a code. Oscar is incredibly amused. Dwight isn't.
-Much of the office sits down to rest and Andy hikes off on his own.
-Back at the office, Kevin is impressing Robert at lunch, until Ryan gets Kevin to tell Robert his "Big Mac Idea" (saving one part from a Big Mac a day until you have all the parts needed to build your own Big Mac, which you'll like more, because you made it.), getting Robert to realize Kevin was actually talking about cookies.
-Jim and Daryl follow Andy because the door to the bus is locked. Andy shouts at Jim that the office has a problem with sarcasm, snark, and tearing things people believe in down, but Jim points out that running a paper company is not like war, the office likes Andy as manager, and he should stop trying so hard.
-Andy concedes that Jim is right and they all head home.
I Liked This: There was plenty to like in Gettysburg. I liked the fake-out in the cold open, which strengthens my theory that the actual birth will be a surprise. I really enjoyed Robert confusing Kevin for a genius, and kind of wish that the writers had let this play out more, but I did enjoy the use of Ryan. I also enjoyed Gabe in this episode. He does kind of resemble Abraham Lincoln in a strange way and watching him ultimately embrace his role was a delight. And, while I was initially concerned with Dwight and Oscar learning that there was a "Battle at Schrute Farms", the ultimate reveal of what it was was great and made up for the fact that the writers have now inserted something into history (Though for all we know, such a place did exist during the war.). Oh, and the pink DM does GB hats were good too.
But...: The main plot of Andy taking half the office to Gettysburg didn't really do anything for me. Even Jim telling Andy that he was a good manager just reminded me of The Incentive, which had a stronger story leading up to the moment. And, even though the Kevin plot was funny, I kind of wished the whole Office had gone to Gettysburg, so the writers would have to make stronger use of the setting.
The Bottom Line: Gettysburg had a lot of funny lines and good moments in it. But there was a lack of a strong A-Story, and that wound up making it one of the weakest season 8 installments so far. I still love The Office and am confident they can come back strong next week, but I just wasn't enjoying it as much this week.
Grade: Enjoyable Enough (Pretty Good)
Memorable Moments
-Dwight: “The Civil War history industry has conveniently forgotten about the battle of Schrute farms. It’s just grossly irresponsible.”
-Dwight: “You are filling [Erin's] head with nonsense. You and the history books!”
-Again, Gabe as Lincoln was great. “Some people call me the emancipator, but you might know me from the penny.”
-Oscar: “I apologize for my friend, and the Republicans who are cutting your funding. “
-
-In the cold open, we learn Pam has been faking labor to get out of things she doesn't want to do. When her water breaks, it seems like it's happening for real, but it's another fake-out.
-Andy compares working in an office to war and wants to take the office to Gettysburg.
-Half of the office stays behind
-At Gettysburg, Dwight insists that Gettysburg is only the second-most northern battle of the city war, next to The Battle of Schrute Farms. Oscar thinks Dwight is nuts.
-Back at the office, Robert comes to visit and asks the rest of the office to come up with "game changers."
-Ryan's origami idea is rejected, but Kevin's "idea" about moving the best cookies in the vending machine to the stop spot is praised, because Robert confuses it for a metaphor. Ryan isn't pleased.
-At Gettysburg, Gabe is mistaken for Abraham Lincoln and soon finds himself putting on a play for tourists.
-Andy's efforts to inspire the office aren't working.
-Oscar and Dwight learn that Schrute Farms was in fact a part of the civil war, but as a commune for the sensitive, "fabulous", artist types and "The Battle At Schrute Farms" was a code. Oscar is incredibly amused. Dwight isn't.
-Much of the office sits down to rest and Andy hikes off on his own.
-Back at the office, Kevin is impressing Robert at lunch, until Ryan gets Kevin to tell Robert his "Big Mac Idea" (saving one part from a Big Mac a day until you have all the parts needed to build your own Big Mac, which you'll like more, because you made it.), getting Robert to realize Kevin was actually talking about cookies.
-Jim and Daryl follow Andy because the door to the bus is locked. Andy shouts at Jim that the office has a problem with sarcasm, snark, and tearing things people believe in down, but Jim points out that running a paper company is not like war, the office likes Andy as manager, and he should stop trying so hard.
-Andy concedes that Jim is right and they all head home.
I Liked This: There was plenty to like in Gettysburg. I liked the fake-out in the cold open, which strengthens my theory that the actual birth will be a surprise. I really enjoyed Robert confusing Kevin for a genius, and kind of wish that the writers had let this play out more, but I did enjoy the use of Ryan. I also enjoyed Gabe in this episode. He does kind of resemble Abraham Lincoln in a strange way and watching him ultimately embrace his role was a delight. And, while I was initially concerned with Dwight and Oscar learning that there was a "Battle at Schrute Farms", the ultimate reveal of what it was was great and made up for the fact that the writers have now inserted something into history (Though for all we know, such a place did exist during the war.). Oh, and the pink DM does GB hats were good too.
But...: The main plot of Andy taking half the office to Gettysburg didn't really do anything for me. Even Jim telling Andy that he was a good manager just reminded me of The Incentive, which had a stronger story leading up to the moment. And, even though the Kevin plot was funny, I kind of wished the whole Office had gone to Gettysburg, so the writers would have to make stronger use of the setting.
The Bottom Line: Gettysburg had a lot of funny lines and good moments in it. But there was a lack of a strong A-Story, and that wound up making it one of the weakest season 8 installments so far. I still love The Office and am confident they can come back strong next week, but I just wasn't enjoying it as much this week.
Grade: Enjoyable Enough (Pretty Good)
Memorable Moments
-Dwight: “The Civil War history industry has conveniently forgotten about the battle of Schrute farms. It’s just grossly irresponsible.”
-Dwight: “You are filling [Erin's] head with nonsense. You and the history books!”
-Again, Gabe as Lincoln was great. “Some people call me the emancipator, but you might know me from the penny.”
-Oscar: “I apologize for my friend, and the Republicans who are cutting your funding. “
-
Friday 18 November 2011
Parks and Recreation: Smallest Park
What Happened, Yo!:
-Leslie and Ben have turned an abandoned spot of concrete into Indiana's smallest park.
-Ben informs Leslie that he is going to ask Chris that he doesn't want to work with the Parks Department as much anymore, because he still can't handle being around Leslie.
-Leslie refuses to accept this, and decides that she's going to drag the project out for as long as she can by turning public opinion against the park.
-But the public is surprisingly in favour of the tourist attraction and the forum about it lasts only 45 minutes. Even when Leslie gets them riled up by planning a lengthy list of activities to happen at the park, they're appeased when Ben just cancels all the activities.
-Ben says that Leslie is a steamroller who doesn't care about what anyone else wants as long as she gets her way and asks Chris to transfer.
-Ann tells Leslie that Ben is right and she is a steamroller.
-Leslie apologizes to Ben, and finally understands why he doesn't want to be around her. They end amicably...
-Until she asks him if he wants to start dating again, no matter how bad that will affect her career or campaign. Ben agrees and they kiss.
-Elsewhere Chris gets Tom and Jerry to "redesign" the parks department logo (as in choose the new font.). Tom decides to do some over-the-top redesigns but Jerry just wants to stick to the assignment.
-Tom keeps insisting that he should dream big and Jerry points out that's how he got into trouble with Entertainment 720 in the first place, which gets Tom depressed.
-Jerry tries to encourage Tom by saying the best thing for the job is to do everything the same. When he shows off his original ID badge that he still uses though, it gives Tom an idea to bring back the retro logo.
-Chris likes the idea and Tom gives much of the credit to Jerry. Awww.
-Meanwhile again, Andy is going to enroll at community college for one class and Andy and Ron are helping him pick.
-April encourages him to do something he'll be good at, like Guitar for Beginners, but he gets bored and can't pretend he's no good.
-Ron wants him to challenge himself so he tries Intro to Lasers, but gets upset when he learns that they don't actually get to use lasers.
-Andy picks a class at random and tries Women Studies. He enjoys it but is disheartened to learn that tuition is almost 1000 dollars, which he doesn't have.
-He decides to shine shoes again to try and get the money, but Ron gives it to him because he likes Andy and has the money. Awww again.
I Liked This:
This may be the best episode Parks and Recreation has done all season. All three of the storylines were strong, and all contained plenty of laughs. Pawnee citizens are always good for a laugh and this episode was no exception. Andy continues to be one of the shows funniest characters, and he gets many of the funniest lines this episode. It was also nice to see Tom be nice to Jerry for once (even if being nice to him meant Jerry becoming Tom's number 4 in place of number 3). And of course, Ron Swanson's soft side is always a treat, and him paying for Andy's class was a heartwarming moment. But the big thing this episode had going for it was the Leslie storyline.
As I've mentioned before, it's good that we get these storylines that remind us that Leslie isn't perfect. But this storyline took that one step farther by having Leslie being bluntly and directly confronting with this fact. It then had Leslie recognize this, accept this, and decides to make a change. And that's why this episode is so good. It has our main character realize that she has to improve herself, and it does it in a way that pays off the episodes that came before us. Leslie has reached a critical point in her character arc and it'll be interesting to see where she goes from there. Not to mention, now that she's coming clean, the possibilities of what could happen next are genuinely thrilling.
But...: I literally cannot think of anything I disliked about Smallest Park.
Bottom Line: Smallest Park didn't have as many laughs as Ron and Tammys. But it was a strong character story with some great emotional beats and some honest character growth. And for that I hereby call it...
Grade: Holy BLANK! (Perfect)
Memorable Moments
-Funniest Citizen Moment: The women who doesn't want a basketball course because it attracts a certain kind of people, who almost straight out says what kind of people she dislikes. With lots of black people around.
-Everyone but Jerry laughing when Chris said Tom could learn a lot from Jerry was great.
-.000003 square miles is a very small park
-Andy: "I did not graduate college because I did not attend it."
-Andy's reaction to learning Intro to Lasers doesn't involve using lasers was classic: "One of the most significant bummers of my lifetime", he says with a sad face.
-Leslie: "Your quiet supports means the world to me, as well as your tacit endorsement of all my behaviors."
-Andy: "Then it's settled. Andy Dwyer will be taking Women's Lasers."
-Ron: "April, where have you been? Over two phone calls came in unimpeded!"
-Ron: "My first day of college my father dropped me off at the steel mill. He didn't think I should go to college, but I hitched a ride, enrolled, and learned a lot."
-Leslie and Ben have turned an abandoned spot of concrete into Indiana's smallest park.
-Ben informs Leslie that he is going to ask Chris that he doesn't want to work with the Parks Department as much anymore, because he still can't handle being around Leslie.
-Leslie refuses to accept this, and decides that she's going to drag the project out for as long as she can by turning public opinion against the park.
-But the public is surprisingly in favour of the tourist attraction and the forum about it lasts only 45 minutes. Even when Leslie gets them riled up by planning a lengthy list of activities to happen at the park, they're appeased when Ben just cancels all the activities.
-Ben says that Leslie is a steamroller who doesn't care about what anyone else wants as long as she gets her way and asks Chris to transfer.
-Ann tells Leslie that Ben is right and she is a steamroller.
-Leslie apologizes to Ben, and finally understands why he doesn't want to be around her. They end amicably...
-Until she asks him if he wants to start dating again, no matter how bad that will affect her career or campaign. Ben agrees and they kiss.
-Elsewhere Chris gets Tom and Jerry to "redesign" the parks department logo (as in choose the new font.). Tom decides to do some over-the-top redesigns but Jerry just wants to stick to the assignment.
-Tom keeps insisting that he should dream big and Jerry points out that's how he got into trouble with Entertainment 720 in the first place, which gets Tom depressed.
-Jerry tries to encourage Tom by saying the best thing for the job is to do everything the same. When he shows off his original ID badge that he still uses though, it gives Tom an idea to bring back the retro logo.
-Chris likes the idea and Tom gives much of the credit to Jerry. Awww.
-Meanwhile again, Andy is going to enroll at community college for one class and Andy and Ron are helping him pick.
-April encourages him to do something he'll be good at, like Guitar for Beginners, but he gets bored and can't pretend he's no good.
-Ron wants him to challenge himself so he tries Intro to Lasers, but gets upset when he learns that they don't actually get to use lasers.
-Andy picks a class at random and tries Women Studies. He enjoys it but is disheartened to learn that tuition is almost 1000 dollars, which he doesn't have.
-He decides to shine shoes again to try and get the money, but Ron gives it to him because he likes Andy and has the money. Awww again.
I Liked This:
This may be the best episode Parks and Recreation has done all season. All three of the storylines were strong, and all contained plenty of laughs. Pawnee citizens are always good for a laugh and this episode was no exception. Andy continues to be one of the shows funniest characters, and he gets many of the funniest lines this episode. It was also nice to see Tom be nice to Jerry for once (even if being nice to him meant Jerry becoming Tom's number 4 in place of number 3). And of course, Ron Swanson's soft side is always a treat, and him paying for Andy's class was a heartwarming moment. But the big thing this episode had going for it was the Leslie storyline.
As I've mentioned before, it's good that we get these storylines that remind us that Leslie isn't perfect. But this storyline took that one step farther by having Leslie being bluntly and directly confronting with this fact. It then had Leslie recognize this, accept this, and decides to make a change. And that's why this episode is so good. It has our main character realize that she has to improve herself, and it does it in a way that pays off the episodes that came before us. Leslie has reached a critical point in her character arc and it'll be interesting to see where she goes from there. Not to mention, now that she's coming clean, the possibilities of what could happen next are genuinely thrilling.
But...: I literally cannot think of anything I disliked about Smallest Park.
Bottom Line: Smallest Park didn't have as many laughs as Ron and Tammys. But it was a strong character story with some great emotional beats and some honest character growth. And for that I hereby call it...
Grade: Holy BLANK! (Perfect)
Memorable Moments
-Funniest Citizen Moment: The women who doesn't want a basketball course because it attracts a certain kind of people, who almost straight out says what kind of people she dislikes. With lots of black people around.
-Everyone but Jerry laughing when Chris said Tom could learn a lot from Jerry was great.
-.000003 square miles is a very small park
-Andy: "I did not graduate college because I did not attend it."
-Andy's reaction to learning Intro to Lasers doesn't involve using lasers was classic: "One of the most significant bummers of my lifetime", he says with a sad face.
-Leslie: "Your quiet supports means the world to me, as well as your tacit endorsement of all my behaviors."
-Andy: "Then it's settled. Andy Dwyer will be taking Women's Lasers."
-Ron: "April, where have you been? Over two phone calls came in unimpeded!"
-Ron: "My first day of college my father dropped me off at the steel mill. He didn't think I should go to college, but I hitched a ride, enrolled, and learned a lot."
Community: Documentary Filmmaking: Redux
What Happened, Yo!:
-The Dean has been given $2000 dollars to update the 16-year-old Greendale Commercial and has cast the study group, because they are "Greendale's brightest and coincidentally, most diverse (Hispanics notwithstanding) study group".
-Abed is filming this as a documentary because he believes the Dean will lose his sanity doing this commercial and wants to follow that, Hearts of Darkness style.
-Pierce is outraged to learn the shoot won't be catered and refuses to leave his trailer. When he learns he doesn't have a trailer, he rents one and refuses to leave until he gets a trailer he can refuse to leave
-Troy and Britta have to hug, which they really enjoy.
-Jeff has to play the Dean in the commercial and plans to use this opportunity to mock the Dean, but the Dean sees Jeff's performance as gold.
-All is fine and the commercial is almost done until the Dean learns that Greendales one famous alumni, Luis Guzman wants to appear in the commercial. This causes the Dean to want the commercial to be better than what they have, and he goes to re-write everyone's parts. Except for Jeff.
-By the next day they are 6,000 dollars over budget and everyone has been drawn into the commercial, with all classes being cancelled.
-The Dean slowly becomes crazier and crazier, rewriting things as they go, and demanding that Troy and Britta hug so many times to get that missing something, the two have emotional breakdowns.
-Jeff has kept on the bald cap for days and slowly finds himself incredibly attached to it.
-The board of directors tell the Dean that he'll be fired if the commercial isn't good enough, since this thing is taking so long.
-Annie, who is the script supervisor begins to believe that the Dean really is a genius in a case of Stockholm Syndrome
-Pierce takes over the trailer they've gotten for Luis Guzman
-On Day 12, they finally get to Jeff's scene, but when the Dean decides he wants Jeff's character to have hair, Jeff won't take off the bald cap, leading to him being replaced with his self-proclaimed understudy Ben Chang. This leads Annie to finally realize the Dean is insane and Britta to call the whole production a violation of human rights. The Dean says everyone who wants to leave can leave so everyone leaves.
-Luis Guzman shows up to a mostly empty school. The Dean (who now has an possum in his office) shows him his rough draft of his commercial, which is a big mess. Luis Guzman decides he can't do the commercial and advises Abed to help the Dean.
-The Dean freaks out when he sees Luis doing Abed's documentary (He's already got rid of the trailer with Pierce still inside). Luis tells him he thought the old script was good and the Dean says that's because Luis went to Greendale.
-Luis tells the Dean that the Dean is ashamed of Greendale, that Greendale is a special place and the Dean doesn't deserve to be there.
-The Dean gets Abed to film him confessing that he failed the school because he thought he was better than it. And the only thing wrong with the school is that it's run by an insecure wreck who thinks it's not good enough. But he goes on to call Greendale the best school in the entire world, burns his university diploma, stips down, and covers himself in the ashes.
-When the Dean goes to show the representatives from the board his confession, he finds that Abed has put together footage from the first day of shooting with footage from his documentary and made it into a good enough commercial.
-Abed has realized that documentarians influence the story because they decide to tell the story and decide how it ends.
-The study group forgives the Dean after seeing the footage of his breakdown and hug. Troy and Britta remain in their hug longer than anyone else.
-In the tag, we see Pierce has been towed all the way to Hollywood, where he stumbles out declaring to be a star.
I Liked This:
This episode was a spotlight on Dean Pelton, and it was probably Jim Rash's best performance yet. I liked how the episode humanized the Dean, especially after showing him go over-the-top insane. I also liked how the documentary format the episode used wound up being relevant to the story in a much more profound way than the last time they used it (Though that was still a great episode). As much as it was the Dean's story, it was also a story for Abed too, and it was nice to see him decide to ultimately step in and save the Dean. And of course, the episode was really, really, really funny. After Remedial Chaos Theory, this was probably the next best episode of season 3 so far. And I'm sure there'll be plenty of more classics to come this season.
But...:
This episode was so good (though not perfect), it just made me more upset that NBC is "benching" Community for the time being come mid-season. Curses, NBC! At least let them get to season 4!
The Bottom Line: Documentary Filmmaking: Redux was a great episode, with a good spotlight on the Dean as a character. If only more people watched this show.
Grade: Zounds! (Almost Perfect)
Memorable Moments
-Abed: “As a student of character I have a feeling that making this commercial may cost the Dean his sanity. And my camera follows the fire, not the smoke. Ever seen Hearts of Darkness? Way better than Apocalypse Now.”
-Dean: “This isn’t Hollywood, Pierce. If it were, my glasses would be tinted and I’d be friends with Stevie Nicks.”
-The Dean can't think of the word he wants Shirley to be more of. Shirley: "The word he's looking for his sassy. He better pray he don't find it."
-The Dean gets fed up with Troy and Britta not being able to deliver the performance he wants. “Okay, you get it wrong one more time, I’m segregating the school.”
-Chang: "Jeff thinks he has it bad? As Jeff's understudy, I have to wear a Jeff wig on top of my Chang hair and then my bald cap on top of that!"
-Jeff: “I’ve become a stranger to myself. I’m bald now. I’ve always been bald. I only dreamt of having hair. And now the bald man is awake.”
-The Commercial ultimately went $16,000 over budget.
-Abed: "Some flys are too awesome for the wall."
-The Dean has been given $2000 dollars to update the 16-year-old Greendale Commercial and has cast the study group, because they are "Greendale's brightest and coincidentally, most diverse (Hispanics notwithstanding) study group".
-Abed is filming this as a documentary because he believes the Dean will lose his sanity doing this commercial and wants to follow that, Hearts of Darkness style.
-Pierce is outraged to learn the shoot won't be catered and refuses to leave his trailer. When he learns he doesn't have a trailer, he rents one and refuses to leave until he gets a trailer he can refuse to leave
-Troy and Britta have to hug, which they really enjoy.
-Jeff has to play the Dean in the commercial and plans to use this opportunity to mock the Dean, but the Dean sees Jeff's performance as gold.
-All is fine and the commercial is almost done until the Dean learns that Greendales one famous alumni, Luis Guzman wants to appear in the commercial. This causes the Dean to want the commercial to be better than what they have, and he goes to re-write everyone's parts. Except for Jeff.
-By the next day they are 6,000 dollars over budget and everyone has been drawn into the commercial, with all classes being cancelled.
-The Dean slowly becomes crazier and crazier, rewriting things as they go, and demanding that Troy and Britta hug so many times to get that missing something, the two have emotional breakdowns.
-Jeff has kept on the bald cap for days and slowly finds himself incredibly attached to it.
-The board of directors tell the Dean that he'll be fired if the commercial isn't good enough, since this thing is taking so long.
-Annie, who is the script supervisor begins to believe that the Dean really is a genius in a case of Stockholm Syndrome
-Pierce takes over the trailer they've gotten for Luis Guzman
-On Day 12, they finally get to Jeff's scene, but when the Dean decides he wants Jeff's character to have hair, Jeff won't take off the bald cap, leading to him being replaced with his self-proclaimed understudy Ben Chang. This leads Annie to finally realize the Dean is insane and Britta to call the whole production a violation of human rights. The Dean says everyone who wants to leave can leave so everyone leaves.
-Luis Guzman shows up to a mostly empty school. The Dean (who now has an possum in his office) shows him his rough draft of his commercial, which is a big mess. Luis Guzman decides he can't do the commercial and advises Abed to help the Dean.
-The Dean freaks out when he sees Luis doing Abed's documentary (He's already got rid of the trailer with Pierce still inside). Luis tells him he thought the old script was good and the Dean says that's because Luis went to Greendale.
-Luis tells the Dean that the Dean is ashamed of Greendale, that Greendale is a special place and the Dean doesn't deserve to be there.
-The Dean gets Abed to film him confessing that he failed the school because he thought he was better than it. And the only thing wrong with the school is that it's run by an insecure wreck who thinks it's not good enough. But he goes on to call Greendale the best school in the entire world, burns his university diploma, stips down, and covers himself in the ashes.
-When the Dean goes to show the representatives from the board his confession, he finds that Abed has put together footage from the first day of shooting with footage from his documentary and made it into a good enough commercial.
-Abed has realized that documentarians influence the story because they decide to tell the story and decide how it ends.
-The study group forgives the Dean after seeing the footage of his breakdown and hug. Troy and Britta remain in their hug longer than anyone else.
-In the tag, we see Pierce has been towed all the way to Hollywood, where he stumbles out declaring to be a star.
I Liked This:
This episode was a spotlight on Dean Pelton, and it was probably Jim Rash's best performance yet. I liked how the episode humanized the Dean, especially after showing him go over-the-top insane. I also liked how the documentary format the episode used wound up being relevant to the story in a much more profound way than the last time they used it (Though that was still a great episode). As much as it was the Dean's story, it was also a story for Abed too, and it was nice to see him decide to ultimately step in and save the Dean. And of course, the episode was really, really, really funny. After Remedial Chaos Theory, this was probably the next best episode of season 3 so far. And I'm sure there'll be plenty of more classics to come this season.
But...:
This episode was so good (though not perfect), it just made me more upset that NBC is "benching" Community for the time being come mid-season. Curses, NBC! At least let them get to season 4!
The Bottom Line: Documentary Filmmaking: Redux was a great episode, with a good spotlight on the Dean as a character. If only more people watched this show.
Grade: Zounds! (Almost Perfect)
Memorable Moments
-Abed: “As a student of character I have a feeling that making this commercial may cost the Dean his sanity. And my camera follows the fire, not the smoke. Ever seen Hearts of Darkness? Way better than Apocalypse Now.”
-Dean: “This isn’t Hollywood, Pierce. If it were, my glasses would be tinted and I’d be friends with Stevie Nicks.”
-The Dean can't think of the word he wants Shirley to be more of. Shirley: "The word he's looking for his sassy. He better pray he don't find it."
-The Dean gets fed up with Troy and Britta not being able to deliver the performance he wants. “Okay, you get it wrong one more time, I’m segregating the school.”
-Chang: "Jeff thinks he has it bad? As Jeff's understudy, I have to wear a Jeff wig on top of my Chang hair and then my bald cap on top of that!"
-Jeff: “I’ve become a stranger to myself. I’m bald now. I’ve always been bald. I only dreamt of having hair. And now the bald man is awake.”
-The Commercial ultimately went $16,000 over budget.
-Abed: "Some flys are too awesome for the wall."
Thursday 17 November 2011
5 Things I Enjoyed About: Survivor: South Pacific: Running the Show
Oh, Survivor. Getting me to think that Albert might change the game only to have it not happen was cruel. But it did lead to some killer suspense in an episode, where the outcome would otherwise be expected once Dawn and Whitney barely lost out on immunity. And it was still a solid episode in a very good season so I can still think of 5 things I liked.
1. Who's Running The Show?: When Jim mentions that Upolu is the closest thing to a cult he's ever seen, my one thought was that he obviously didn't see Redemption Island, which featured a much worse cult than what Coach has set up. Coach doesn't state that he's the leader though former Savii members may disagree with this statement (And Coach later calls himself a mob boss, which I'm pretty sure is a leader, Coach.). So I found the various points of view on whether or not Coach was the leader quite enjoyable and interesting. Especially Albert's Tribal statements when he suggests Coach may just be a figurehead. Or a puppetmaster.
2. Sharing the Screen: I also liked that this episode gave more screentime to people like Whitney and Sophie, who we haven't seen that much of since the game began (though Whitney was in danger of going to Redemption, and Sophie won both immunity challenges, so I guess the extra screentime was a given.). Still not much of Rick though, but I can accept that.
3. Tons of Challenges: There was the redemption island duel, where Ozzy managed to balance his boards, and score a win over Keith and Jim and stay alive in the game. There was the main challenge, where people had to balance rice on their heads and cross teeter totters, which was fun to watch and had Sophie score a win by gambling on being able to carry a massive amount of rice. And then there was the extra immunity challenge, where they were asked survival questions and Sophie managed to win again, sealing Whitney's fate. All the challenges had a good amount of tension, which made them enjoyable. Which is why they're here.
4. Albert Gets My Hopes Up: Albert considers getting Cochran, Dawn and Whitney on his side when it comes time to vote, by voting out Edna instead of them. He even gets Sophie in on it and it looks like they're really going to go through with it. Of course they don't, but the tension wondering whether or not they'll go through with it made for excitement. And also Coach making sure his original alliance knows anyone who goes against the family is dead.
5. Jim wants to go to Double Secret Redemption Island: If only, Jim. If only. It doesn't exist but his hope for Double Secret Redemption Island was probably the best line of the night. I'm sad to see Jim go. Ozzy is staying alive and staying strong out there, but I sort of wish Jim or Keith had won out. Hopefully, Dawn or Whitney will win the day next time, just to shake things up.
1. Who's Running The Show?: When Jim mentions that Upolu is the closest thing to a cult he's ever seen, my one thought was that he obviously didn't see Redemption Island, which featured a much worse cult than what Coach has set up. Coach doesn't state that he's the leader though former Savii members may disagree with this statement (And Coach later calls himself a mob boss, which I'm pretty sure is a leader, Coach.). So I found the various points of view on whether or not Coach was the leader quite enjoyable and interesting. Especially Albert's Tribal statements when he suggests Coach may just be a figurehead. Or a puppetmaster.
2. Sharing the Screen: I also liked that this episode gave more screentime to people like Whitney and Sophie, who we haven't seen that much of since the game began (though Whitney was in danger of going to Redemption, and Sophie won both immunity challenges, so I guess the extra screentime was a given.). Still not much of Rick though, but I can accept that.
3. Tons of Challenges: There was the redemption island duel, where Ozzy managed to balance his boards, and score a win over Keith and Jim and stay alive in the game. There was the main challenge, where people had to balance rice on their heads and cross teeter totters, which was fun to watch and had Sophie score a win by gambling on being able to carry a massive amount of rice. And then there was the extra immunity challenge, where they were asked survival questions and Sophie managed to win again, sealing Whitney's fate. All the challenges had a good amount of tension, which made them enjoyable. Which is why they're here.
4. Albert Gets My Hopes Up: Albert considers getting Cochran, Dawn and Whitney on his side when it comes time to vote, by voting out Edna instead of them. He even gets Sophie in on it and it looks like they're really going to go through with it. Of course they don't, but the tension wondering whether or not they'll go through with it made for excitement. And also Coach making sure his original alliance knows anyone who goes against the family is dead.
5. Jim wants to go to Double Secret Redemption Island: If only, Jim. If only. It doesn't exist but his hope for Double Secret Redemption Island was probably the best line of the night. I'm sad to see Jim go. Ozzy is staying alive and staying strong out there, but I sort of wish Jim or Keith had won out. Hopefully, Dawn or Whitney will win the day next time, just to shake things up.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Memorable Moments: New Girl: Thanksgiving
Quicky Opinion: Thanksgiving was probably the strongest episode New Girl has had to date. Partly because it didn't end with a variation of the climax of the pilot, but also because it allowed us to see new sides of the character. Justin Long was fun in his first guest appearance as basically male Jess, and Schmidt was as enjoyable as ever. I also liked the last-minute twist of the dead body in the neighbors apartment. Hopefully, New Girl will do episodes like this more often. Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
- Jess: "What you doing for Thanksgiving?" Paul: "Well I always spend it with my Grandmother, but -" Jess: "That's so nice!" Paul: "She just died."
-Paul's grandmother died right as he was writing the Halloween Madrigal, which made it very deep. "What's it all about? Is there any point? Do we start dying the moment we were born". Those words sung by kids in monster costumes make for a great sight gag.
-Nick: "No, Jess. We're not doing Thanksgiving. We talked about this. We're just going to watch football, drink beer, and then we're going to Best Buy for Black Friday". Winston: "Or as I like to call it, Friday"
Memorable Moments
- Jess: "What you doing for Thanksgiving?" Paul: "Well I always spend it with my Grandmother, but -" Jess: "That's so nice!" Paul: "She just died."
-Paul's grandmother died right as he was writing the Halloween Madrigal, which made it very deep. "What's it all about? Is there any point? Do we start dying the moment we were born". Those words sung by kids in monster costumes make for a great sight gag.
-Nick: "No, Jess. We're not doing Thanksgiving. We talked about this. We're just going to watch football, drink beer, and then we're going to Best Buy for Black Friday". Winston: "Or as I like to call it, Friday"
Glee: Mash Off
What Happened, Yo?:
-Puck is "Hot For Teacher". Shelby is a sub in one of his classes, because apparently she needs more to do than just coach Troubletones.
-Sue is running absurdly ridiculous attack ads against Burt Hummel, and tells Kurt that he doesn't have a chance winning the election, because he refuses to play dirty.
-New Directions and Troubletones will be facing off at sectionals, so Will and Shelby decide to have a friendly "mashoff" competition.
-Quinn is suspicious as to why child protective services haven't come yet.
-Rachel gets Shelby to write a letter of recommendation for Rachel's college application. She mentions that other kids wanting to get in won't have a prayer without a lot of activites like Rachel has.
-Kurt is still mad at Rachel for being in the student president race.
-Santana is insulting Finn and the two decide to gather their Glee clubs for a dodgeball match.
-Shelby tries to underplay Puck's feelings as just a crush, but Puck insists he has strong feelings. Shelby does admit that Beth likes him.
-Quinn still playing nice with Shelby.
-Dodgeball! Set to both clubs doing a mash-up of One Way Or Another and Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Troubletones win and then beat Rory with dodgeballs for some reason until Kurt gets them to stop.
-Mercedes officially becomes leader of Troubletones and demands Santana apologize to Finn and start playing nice.
-Santana gives a series of increasingly thinly veiled insults-disguised-as-apologies to Finn, until Finn uses the one weapon he has and says Santana only tears people down, because she tears herself down, because she's in the closet, and in love with Brittany who may not love her back.
-New Directions performs an Hall and Oates Mash-up.
-Puck admits to Shelby that Quinn planted a bunch of things in the apartment because she wants Beth back.
-Class President debates. Kurt rallies to ban dodgeball as the first step to stopping bullying. Rachel drops out of the race to support him for never playing dirty..
-Rachel and Kurt make up.
-Shelby tells Quinn off and hopes it'll be a wake-up call for her.
-Santana learns that the niece of one of Sue's competitors overheard Finn telling her to come out of the closet and her lesbianism is about to be used as part of an attack ad against Sue, outing her to everybody.
-Troubletones does an Adele mash-up. It's beautiful.
-Santana notices Finn whispering to Rachel. Though he's just whispering how good he thought Santana was, she yells at him, slaps him and yells some more declaring that because of him, everybody will know.
-To be continued.
I Liked This:
There was a bunch of stuff I liked in this episode. All the mash-ups, Santana vs. Finn, Rachel dropping out of the class president race to support Kurt, Sugar trying to copy Santana and saying she sounds exactly like Adele, Puck telling Shelby what Quinn's doing, and Shelby reprimanding Quinn. I even appreciated the over-the-topness of Sue's campaign ad. But for me, the best part of the episode was Naya Rivera and the ending.
Naya Rivera is great as Santana, who has become one of my favorite characters on the show. And this episode gives her lots of comedic material to work with. But in the last five minutes of the episode, when she finds out she's about to be outed to everyone in Ohio, goes to deliver one of her best musical performances in Rumour Has It/Somebody Like You, and then freaks out when Finn whispers something to Rachel, slaps him and shouts at him, Naya also gives perhaps the best performance she's ever given. It really elevates the episode as a whole. The ending itself is one of those well-earned legitimate twist endings you don't see coming (Maybe the first one Glee has done since Mattress. Mercedes joining Troubletones was a twist, but it wasn't unexpected.), and is very powerful stuff, but it's Naya Rivera who truly gives it an impact. If the whole episode was on par with this last scene, Mashoff would get a perfect rating easily.
But...: The whole episode isn't like the last scene and I still have some complaints. I continue to be annoyed with Quinn's big villainous turn. I really hope this is leading somewhere good for the character, because Quinn has turned into early season 1 Quinn again and I don't like early season 1 Quinn. Plus, whether he's 18 or not, I still have issues with the Puck/Shelby romance. I did like the scene where he confesses what Quinn has done, and his scenes with Beth were cute, but I did not care for the opening sequence at all. And Kurt's "Let's ban dodgeball" speech was overly preachy (even for Kurt) and felt shoehorned in, in order to give the earlier dodgeball sequence more purpose than just being an excuse to do a musical number and finally justify the dodgeball motif the season's iTunes singles have been using. As was the crowds enthusiastic reaction to it.
Bottom Line: Honestly, I wasn't sure how I felt about this episode of Glee until the final minutes. There was good stuff and there was bad stuff, and I was hovering around giving the "pretty good" grade again, but that final sequence was well done enough to make me not care so much about the negative parts of the episode and give it a solid...
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Best Musical Performance: Rumour has it/Somebody like you. No question.
-Worst Musical Performance: Was not a fan of Hot For Teacher. Just didn't think it was well done.
-Fun Fact: Rumour Has It/Somebody Like You is Glee's 300th musical performance.
-Fun Fact #2: This is the 3rd time that Glee's 6th episode of the season has been a mash-up episode.
-Santana: “You guys, hurry up. Go get some wet towels, We have to keep Finn wet before we can roll him back into the sea.”
-Rory is not good at insults. “You’re skinny like all the crops failed on your family’s farm failed.”
-Brittany on Adele: “She sounds like what banana cream pie sounds like when it sings.”
-One last thing: I also liked that it's unclear who's at fault for outing Santana. Finn did say it in public, but Santana provoked him heavily, and neither of them could've predicted what would happen. Personally, I think they're both at fault, but it wouldn't surprise me if the show comes back in 2 weeks clearly on the side of "It's all Finn's fault".
-Puck is "Hot For Teacher". Shelby is a sub in one of his classes, because apparently she needs more to do than just coach Troubletones.
-Sue is running absurdly ridiculous attack ads against Burt Hummel, and tells Kurt that he doesn't have a chance winning the election, because he refuses to play dirty.
-New Directions and Troubletones will be facing off at sectionals, so Will and Shelby decide to have a friendly "mashoff" competition.
-Quinn is suspicious as to why child protective services haven't come yet.
-Rachel gets Shelby to write a letter of recommendation for Rachel's college application. She mentions that other kids wanting to get in won't have a prayer without a lot of activites like Rachel has.
-Kurt is still mad at Rachel for being in the student president race.
-Santana is insulting Finn and the two decide to gather their Glee clubs for a dodgeball match.
-Shelby tries to underplay Puck's feelings as just a crush, but Puck insists he has strong feelings. Shelby does admit that Beth likes him.
-Quinn still playing nice with Shelby.
-Dodgeball! Set to both clubs doing a mash-up of One Way Or Another and Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Troubletones win and then beat Rory with dodgeballs for some reason until Kurt gets them to stop.
-Mercedes officially becomes leader of Troubletones and demands Santana apologize to Finn and start playing nice.
-Santana gives a series of increasingly thinly veiled insults-disguised-as-apologies to Finn, until Finn uses the one weapon he has and says Santana only tears people down, because she tears herself down, because she's in the closet, and in love with Brittany who may not love her back.
-New Directions performs an Hall and Oates Mash-up.
-Puck admits to Shelby that Quinn planted a bunch of things in the apartment because she wants Beth back.
-Class President debates. Kurt rallies to ban dodgeball as the first step to stopping bullying. Rachel drops out of the race to support him for never playing dirty..
-Rachel and Kurt make up.
-Shelby tells Quinn off and hopes it'll be a wake-up call for her.
-Santana learns that the niece of one of Sue's competitors overheard Finn telling her to come out of the closet and her lesbianism is about to be used as part of an attack ad against Sue, outing her to everybody.
-Troubletones does an Adele mash-up. It's beautiful.
-Santana notices Finn whispering to Rachel. Though he's just whispering how good he thought Santana was, she yells at him, slaps him and yells some more declaring that because of him, everybody will know.
-To be continued.
I Liked This:
There was a bunch of stuff I liked in this episode. All the mash-ups, Santana vs. Finn, Rachel dropping out of the class president race to support Kurt, Sugar trying to copy Santana and saying she sounds exactly like Adele, Puck telling Shelby what Quinn's doing, and Shelby reprimanding Quinn. I even appreciated the over-the-topness of Sue's campaign ad. But for me, the best part of the episode was Naya Rivera and the ending.
Naya Rivera is great as Santana, who has become one of my favorite characters on the show. And this episode gives her lots of comedic material to work with. But in the last five minutes of the episode, when she finds out she's about to be outed to everyone in Ohio, goes to deliver one of her best musical performances in Rumour Has It/Somebody Like You, and then freaks out when Finn whispers something to Rachel, slaps him and shouts at him, Naya also gives perhaps the best performance she's ever given. It really elevates the episode as a whole. The ending itself is one of those well-earned legitimate twist endings you don't see coming (Maybe the first one Glee has done since Mattress. Mercedes joining Troubletones was a twist, but it wasn't unexpected.), and is very powerful stuff, but it's Naya Rivera who truly gives it an impact. If the whole episode was on par with this last scene, Mashoff would get a perfect rating easily.
But...: The whole episode isn't like the last scene and I still have some complaints. I continue to be annoyed with Quinn's big villainous turn. I really hope this is leading somewhere good for the character, because Quinn has turned into early season 1 Quinn again and I don't like early season 1 Quinn. Plus, whether he's 18 or not, I still have issues with the Puck/Shelby romance. I did like the scene where he confesses what Quinn has done, and his scenes with Beth were cute, but I did not care for the opening sequence at all. And Kurt's "Let's ban dodgeball" speech was overly preachy (even for Kurt) and felt shoehorned in, in order to give the earlier dodgeball sequence more purpose than just being an excuse to do a musical number and finally justify the dodgeball motif the season's iTunes singles have been using. As was the crowds enthusiastic reaction to it.
Bottom Line: Honestly, I wasn't sure how I felt about this episode of Glee until the final minutes. There was good stuff and there was bad stuff, and I was hovering around giving the "pretty good" grade again, but that final sequence was well done enough to make me not care so much about the negative parts of the episode and give it a solid...
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Best Musical Performance: Rumour has it/Somebody like you. No question.
-Worst Musical Performance: Was not a fan of Hot For Teacher. Just didn't think it was well done.
-Fun Fact: Rumour Has It/Somebody Like You is Glee's 300th musical performance.
-Fun Fact #2: This is the 3rd time that Glee's 6th episode of the season has been a mash-up episode.
-Santana: “You guys, hurry up. Go get some wet towels, We have to keep Finn wet before we can roll him back into the sea.”
-Rory is not good at insults. “You’re skinny like all the crops failed on your family’s farm failed.”
-Brittany on Adele: “She sounds like what banana cream pie sounds like when it sings.”
-One last thing: I also liked that it's unclear who's at fault for outing Santana. Finn did say it in public, but Santana provoked him heavily, and neither of them could've predicted what would happen. Personally, I think they're both at fault, but it wouldn't surprise me if the show comes back in 2 weeks clearly on the side of "It's all Finn's fault".
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Terra Nova: Proof
What Happened, Yo!:
-There's a big establishing shot with Dinosaurs in it, and then no more Dinosaurs for the rest of the episode. Lame! And no, the Swordfish and the Komodo Dragon don't count as dinosaurs.
-Taylor and Jim are out fishing and Jim almost gets pulled into the ocean by a swordfish.
-A group of scientists are returning from a 6-month expedition, including Maddy's idol, Dr. Ken Horton. Since Elizabeth is testing him to make sure everything's OK, she lets Maddy meet him and he soon lets her become an intern for him.
-Some of the Sixers are quite sick so Mira calls in the favour she needs from Josh: he must steal a very rare, very protected medicine from the infirmary.
-Josh is reluctant to do it and Skye tries to persuade him not to, but Mira shows him proof that she can get Kara to him by letting him talk to her for a moment so he breaks in and steals the meds.
-On their way back from fishing, Jim and Taylor notice a makeshift campsite and stumble into an injured Curran (the exiled soldier from Bylaw). Taylor stays back while Jim heads on home.
-Jim thinks a drug addict has taken the medicine. Josh learns that without the medicine, a patient of his mothers will die. Josh starts feeling bad about what he's done, even though he gets word that Kara coming back is a sure thing now.
-Boylan gets a barfly who owes him money to look like he's the one who stole the medicine, but Jim quickly gets him to reveal that Boylan put him up to it.
-Meanwhile, Maddy begins to get concerned when Horton forgets some things he wrote in his books and in a letter he had sent her. When getting the letter so he can make a copy for his archives, she also notices that his signature is different on it than it is on the book he just signed for her. Elizabeth believes it's just because of the stroke he suffered, but Maddy isn't so sure. Zoe just thinks Horton is a vampire.
-Maddy gets more suspicious when she finds out her letter has been burned and gets some of Horton's DNA so she can test it with the DNA from the envelope his letter came in, but the DNA is a match. Horton has secretly seen her do this however.
-Maddy begins to think that maybe Horton had an assistant who mailed her letter and stole Horton's identity. So she goes to The Eye and figures out that Horton did have an assistant who disappeared right before Horton went to Terra Nova, and an unidentified body was found around that time too. Uh-oh.
-Fake Horton finds her, but Maddy escapes. So Fake Horton checks Zoe out of school so Maddy will have to go find him.
-Maddy sends Zoe off with a coded message for Jim, who comes in to save the day just as Fake Horton is about to kill Maddy, by use of a poisonous spider. Disappointingly, Jim uses his fists to rescue Maddy and not the "Go Away Spider" song.
-Taylor saves Curran from a Komodo Dragon and then sends him to infiltrate the Sixer's and indentify the mole, promising to let him back in if he succeeds, and threatening to kill him if he fails.
-Maddy wonders if Fake Horton's claims that the real Horton was a bad person were true, but Elizabeth reminds her that no matter who the real Horton was, he took the time to write to a little girl who was a fan, so how bad could he have been?
-Josh confesses his crimes and explains everything. Jim confronts Boylan who insists that Mira can contact the future.
-Taylor reveals to Jim that his son was working on a way to contact the future before he disappears. Jim suggests Mira may have in, but Taylor implies the truth may be more complicated by that.
-Later, Maddy picks up an apple that Fake Horton had helped prepare to harvest and we're done.
I Liked This:
Lots to like here. First and foremost, I liked that Maddy finally had a major storyline that did not involve teenage romance (her medical internship was not a major story.). I liked that the idea of the favour introduced last week came into play this week and that the major characters became aware of what Josh is up to, because it shows once more that Terra Nova is not going to drag out all these mysteries and is going somewhere (assumedly) interesting with this. So I also liked watching more pieces of the puzzle come together this week. I actually didn't mind Josh this week and felt his plotline was handled well. And I liked the scene of Taylor facing off against the Komodo Dragon, because it was often (even if it wasn't a dinosaur he was facing off against.).
But...:
Still have a few minor complaints. The swordfish CGI at the beginning was horrible. I didn't really buy that Zoe's teacher would release her to Horton without proof that Maddy had sent him. Plus, why would Zoe even willingly go with Horton if she thought he was a vampire? And they kind of ran the whole "Zoe thinks Horton is a vampire" thing into the ground by the end of the episode (though it was really enjoyable for most of the episode.) I also feel they could've made more use of Skye this week.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
Dinosaur Scene Count: 1. I still refuse to count the Swordfish or the Komodo Dragon. Those aren't dinosaurs! They're prehistoric creatures!
Best Prehistoric Creature Moment: The Komodo Dragon/Taylor face-off.
Boy, That Was A Stupid Idea: C'mon, Zoe's teacher. Don't they have "Stranger Danger" in Terra Nova? If you had let something like that happen in 2011, you'd have gotten in trouble.
-There's a big establishing shot with Dinosaurs in it, and then no more Dinosaurs for the rest of the episode. Lame! And no, the Swordfish and the Komodo Dragon don't count as dinosaurs.
-Taylor and Jim are out fishing and Jim almost gets pulled into the ocean by a swordfish.
-A group of scientists are returning from a 6-month expedition, including Maddy's idol, Dr. Ken Horton. Since Elizabeth is testing him to make sure everything's OK, she lets Maddy meet him and he soon lets her become an intern for him.
-Some of the Sixers are quite sick so Mira calls in the favour she needs from Josh: he must steal a very rare, very protected medicine from the infirmary.
-Josh is reluctant to do it and Skye tries to persuade him not to, but Mira shows him proof that she can get Kara to him by letting him talk to her for a moment so he breaks in and steals the meds.
-On their way back from fishing, Jim and Taylor notice a makeshift campsite and stumble into an injured Curran (the exiled soldier from Bylaw). Taylor stays back while Jim heads on home.
-Jim thinks a drug addict has taken the medicine. Josh learns that without the medicine, a patient of his mothers will die. Josh starts feeling bad about what he's done, even though he gets word that Kara coming back is a sure thing now.
-Boylan gets a barfly who owes him money to look like he's the one who stole the medicine, but Jim quickly gets him to reveal that Boylan put him up to it.
-Meanwhile, Maddy begins to get concerned when Horton forgets some things he wrote in his books and in a letter he had sent her. When getting the letter so he can make a copy for his archives, she also notices that his signature is different on it than it is on the book he just signed for her. Elizabeth believes it's just because of the stroke he suffered, but Maddy isn't so sure. Zoe just thinks Horton is a vampire.
-Maddy gets more suspicious when she finds out her letter has been burned and gets some of Horton's DNA so she can test it with the DNA from the envelope his letter came in, but the DNA is a match. Horton has secretly seen her do this however.
-Maddy begins to think that maybe Horton had an assistant who mailed her letter and stole Horton's identity. So she goes to The Eye and figures out that Horton did have an assistant who disappeared right before Horton went to Terra Nova, and an unidentified body was found around that time too. Uh-oh.
-Fake Horton finds her, but Maddy escapes. So Fake Horton checks Zoe out of school so Maddy will have to go find him.
-Maddy sends Zoe off with a coded message for Jim, who comes in to save the day just as Fake Horton is about to kill Maddy, by use of a poisonous spider. Disappointingly, Jim uses his fists to rescue Maddy and not the "Go Away Spider" song.
-Taylor saves Curran from a Komodo Dragon and then sends him to infiltrate the Sixer's and indentify the mole, promising to let him back in if he succeeds, and threatening to kill him if he fails.
-Maddy wonders if Fake Horton's claims that the real Horton was a bad person were true, but Elizabeth reminds her that no matter who the real Horton was, he took the time to write to a little girl who was a fan, so how bad could he have been?
-Josh confesses his crimes and explains everything. Jim confronts Boylan who insists that Mira can contact the future.
-Taylor reveals to Jim that his son was working on a way to contact the future before he disappears. Jim suggests Mira may have in, but Taylor implies the truth may be more complicated by that.
-Later, Maddy picks up an apple that Fake Horton had helped prepare to harvest and we're done.
I Liked This:
Lots to like here. First and foremost, I liked that Maddy finally had a major storyline that did not involve teenage romance (her medical internship was not a major story.). I liked that the idea of the favour introduced last week came into play this week and that the major characters became aware of what Josh is up to, because it shows once more that Terra Nova is not going to drag out all these mysteries and is going somewhere (assumedly) interesting with this. So I also liked watching more pieces of the puzzle come together this week. I actually didn't mind Josh this week and felt his plotline was handled well. And I liked the scene of Taylor facing off against the Komodo Dragon, because it was often (even if it wasn't a dinosaur he was facing off against.).
But...:
Still have a few minor complaints. The swordfish CGI at the beginning was horrible. I didn't really buy that Zoe's teacher would release her to Horton without proof that Maddy had sent him. Plus, why would Zoe even willingly go with Horton if she thought he was a vampire? And they kind of ran the whole "Zoe thinks Horton is a vampire" thing into the ground by the end of the episode (though it was really enjoyable for most of the episode.) I also feel they could've made more use of Skye this week.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
Dinosaur Scene Count: 1. I still refuse to count the Swordfish or the Komodo Dragon. Those aren't dinosaurs! They're prehistoric creatures!
Best Prehistoric Creature Moment: The Komodo Dragon/Taylor face-off.
Boy, That Was A Stupid Idea: C'mon, Zoe's teacher. Don't they have "Stranger Danger" in Terra Nova? If you had let something like that happen in 2011, you'd have gotten in trouble.
Monday 14 November 2011
How I Met Your Mother: Tick, Tick, Tick...
What Happened, Yo!:
-Barney and Robin's kiss led to them sleeping together and they both feel bad about it. They decide to deny it, but they also realize they have to be on a 3-hour boat cruise with the people they cheated on that night.
-On the cruise, they manage to keep it a secret, but ultimately decide they need to tell them, only to change their mind when Kevin accidentally got a drink thrown on him and Norah got a small wine stain.
-They decide to tell them after all, once they've gotten off the boat and then use this as an opportunity to get back together. But then before they can tell them, Kevin tells Robin he loves her and Norah's parents show up a day earlier than expected.
-Barney tells Norah anyways and she breaks up with him.
-Meanwhile, Ted, Marshall, and Lily are going to a concert and Ted has gotten them "sandwiches", but Lily turns it down. Marshall secretly has a "sandwich" and they plan to keep it a secret.
-When Lily sends them to get Nachos, they keep lining up at the Women's bathroom, and freaking out. Ted thinks Marshall just needs to relax, but Marshall insists on finding the nachos. They split up, but seperate encounters with a guitar-playing creepy guy in black cause them to reconcile.
-Ultimately, they believe they missed the concert but Lily informs them that they've barely been gone for two minutes.We then realize that they just thought time was going fast because of the "sandwiches", and take it as a sign that they still have plenty of time to do everything.
-At the bar, it's revealed that Robin ultimately didn't tell Kevin, after he interrupts her and gives a speech about how he doesn't care about what she's done in the past, he just cares about her, and how he hopes she'll one day see herself the way he sees her.
-Barney sadly leaves. Ted soon leaves too and notices Barney packing up rose petals and candles he had placed in Robin's room. Awww.
I Liked This: I really enjoyed this episode for the most part. I thought both of the stories built to strong finishes. I liked how Barney and Robin's story this season got tons of progression, and the poignancy of the ending was classic HIMYM. I really enjoyed the revelation of how Ted and Marshall's story actually played out. I also liked how Future Ted's talk at the beginning about how sometimes it feels time is going faster or slower than it actually is came back into play at the end, both in a hilarious way (The big twist at the end of Ted and Marshall's story), and a tragic way (Barney's longest second.). The episode was full of good jokes, and I always like it when Sandy Rivers makes an appearance. Great episode!
But...: Only a couple complaints this time out. While I wound up liking both of the stories, sandwiches as a metaphor for marijuana is a bit overplayed at this point. And I wasn't that big a fan of Barney and Robin almost giving away their secret at the beginning of the cruise, because it felt too sit-commy and conventional for this show. And keeping Robin with Kevin at this point feels a bit like prolonging the inevitable, but I can look past this because of how well done it was.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Barney: "What's that saying about two wrongs making a right?" Robin: "Two wrongs don't make a right?" Barney: "No that's not it."
-According to Ted, the tickets to the concert smell like cloves and mediocrity.
-Barney and Robin find themselves dancing to a song that seems to exactly describe their situation, even calling Barney out with “yes, you in the suit.”.
-A distracted Barney describes himself for Norah's parents: “Suits, lazer tag, I say wait for it a lot.”
-Ted gets nachos from the creepy guitar guy and a passerby tells him it's a sign. In truth, the passerby is literally telling him the guitar guy is just a sign.
-With my new format, I was able to get this up the same night I watched it, even with my limited computer access, but don't expect same night opinions to happen often.
-Barney and Robin's kiss led to them sleeping together and they both feel bad about it. They decide to deny it, but they also realize they have to be on a 3-hour boat cruise with the people they cheated on that night.
-On the cruise, they manage to keep it a secret, but ultimately decide they need to tell them, only to change their mind when Kevin accidentally got a drink thrown on him and Norah got a small wine stain.
-They decide to tell them after all, once they've gotten off the boat and then use this as an opportunity to get back together. But then before they can tell them, Kevin tells Robin he loves her and Norah's parents show up a day earlier than expected.
-Barney tells Norah anyways and she breaks up with him.
-Meanwhile, Ted, Marshall, and Lily are going to a concert and Ted has gotten them "sandwiches", but Lily turns it down. Marshall secretly has a "sandwich" and they plan to keep it a secret.
-When Lily sends them to get Nachos, they keep lining up at the Women's bathroom, and freaking out. Ted thinks Marshall just needs to relax, but Marshall insists on finding the nachos. They split up, but seperate encounters with a guitar-playing creepy guy in black cause them to reconcile.
-Ultimately, they believe they missed the concert but Lily informs them that they've barely been gone for two minutes.We then realize that they just thought time was going fast because of the "sandwiches", and take it as a sign that they still have plenty of time to do everything.
-At the bar, it's revealed that Robin ultimately didn't tell Kevin, after he interrupts her and gives a speech about how he doesn't care about what she's done in the past, he just cares about her, and how he hopes she'll one day see herself the way he sees her.
-Barney sadly leaves. Ted soon leaves too and notices Barney packing up rose petals and candles he had placed in Robin's room. Awww.
I Liked This: I really enjoyed this episode for the most part. I thought both of the stories built to strong finishes. I liked how Barney and Robin's story this season got tons of progression, and the poignancy of the ending was classic HIMYM. I really enjoyed the revelation of how Ted and Marshall's story actually played out. I also liked how Future Ted's talk at the beginning about how sometimes it feels time is going faster or slower than it actually is came back into play at the end, both in a hilarious way (The big twist at the end of Ted and Marshall's story), and a tragic way (Barney's longest second.). The episode was full of good jokes, and I always like it when Sandy Rivers makes an appearance. Great episode!
But...: Only a couple complaints this time out. While I wound up liking both of the stories, sandwiches as a metaphor for marijuana is a bit overplayed at this point. And I wasn't that big a fan of Barney and Robin almost giving away their secret at the beginning of the cruise, because it felt too sit-commy and conventional for this show. And keeping Robin with Kevin at this point feels a bit like prolonging the inevitable, but I can look past this because of how well done it was.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Barney: "What's that saying about two wrongs making a right?" Robin: "Two wrongs don't make a right?" Barney: "No that's not it."
-According to Ted, the tickets to the concert smell like cloves and mediocrity.
-Barney and Robin find themselves dancing to a song that seems to exactly describe their situation, even calling Barney out with “yes, you in the suit.”.
-A distracted Barney describes himself for Norah's parents: “Suits, lazer tag, I say wait for it a lot.”
-Ted gets nachos from the creepy guitar guy and a passerby tells him it's a sign. In truth, the passerby is literally telling him the guitar guy is just a sign.
-With my new format, I was able to get this up the same night I watched it, even with my limited computer access, but don't expect same night opinions to happen often.
Memorable Moments: The Simpsons: The Food Wife
Quicky Opinion: I actually probably could've done a full opinion of The Food Wife, which is probably my favorite episode The Simpsons has done this season. There was dozens of good freeze frame gags, and the plot about Marge wanting to be seen as the "fun mom", was made fresh with the food blog angle. Good guest star use too. And Homer mistakening a meth lab for the resturant where all the food is made by science was a great climax. Good job, Simpsons. Quicky Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Previous Fun Dad Saturday activites: Cemetary Paintball and Go Karts on real roads.
-Homer: "Is there any better feeling than cutting in line, because a plastic badge says you're special?"
-Among the many videogame booths shown at the E4 convention, I noticed Grand Theft Scratchy, Mapple, Bongo Games (A reference to Matt Groening's comic company), Chalmskinn Interactive (with Chalmer's face on it), Dig Dug: Revelations, Terrence Mallick's Tree of Life Online, Driver's License 2: License to Drive, Assassin's Creed: Summer of Love, and Human Centipede. Among other things.
-Other good jokes at E4: Marching Band, and Homer's videogame experience trying to get the kids to Hall G for the Funtendo videogame announcement (the Zii Zu)
-Marge: "How come they never call me fun mom?" Homer: "A family's like a team. On every team you have the slam dunking mega star and the referee".
-The whole Cross Games joke was funny too.
-Lisa is suprised that the people at Little Ethiopia use "pancakes" as spoons.
-The foodies Marge, Lisa, and Bart meet apparently discovered Korean BBQ in Springfield before the Koreans.
-Homer: "I don't eat anything new unless I've tried it before".
-Homer: "Alright, food nerds. Reality check: All the food in those pictures is poop by now. Minds blown. You're welcome."
-Krusty: "Krustyland has a new ride, the Eyeballs of Death. It only passed the safety by a 3 to 2 vote. And that third vote didn't come cheap".
-Homer: "Marge, this isn't a food restaurant. It's a meth restaurant. A meth-taurant!"
-I also liked the meth dealer having a Ratatouille flashback. Even though that's kind of a dated reference.
-Best Guest Star Appearance: Gordon Ramsey yelling at Marge, and then hijacking her dream.
Memorable Moments
-Previous Fun Dad Saturday activites: Cemetary Paintball and Go Karts on real roads.
-Homer: "Is there any better feeling than cutting in line, because a plastic badge says you're special?"
-Among the many videogame booths shown at the E4 convention, I noticed Grand Theft Scratchy, Mapple, Bongo Games (A reference to Matt Groening's comic company), Chalmskinn Interactive (with Chalmer's face on it), Dig Dug: Revelations, Terrence Mallick's Tree of Life Online, Driver's License 2: License to Drive, Assassin's Creed: Summer of Love, and Human Centipede. Among other things.
-Other good jokes at E4: Marching Band, and Homer's videogame experience trying to get the kids to Hall G for the Funtendo videogame announcement (the Zii Zu)
-Marge: "How come they never call me fun mom?" Homer: "A family's like a team. On every team you have the slam dunking mega star and the referee".
-The whole Cross Games joke was funny too.
-Lisa is suprised that the people at Little Ethiopia use "pancakes" as spoons.
-The foodies Marge, Lisa, and Bart meet apparently discovered Korean BBQ in Springfield before the Koreans.
-Homer: "I don't eat anything new unless I've tried it before".
-Homer: "Alright, food nerds. Reality check: All the food in those pictures is poop by now. Minds blown. You're welcome."
-Krusty: "Krustyland has a new ride, the Eyeballs of Death. It only passed the safety by a 3 to 2 vote. And that third vote didn't come cheap".
-Homer: "Marge, this isn't a food restaurant. It's a meth restaurant. A meth-taurant!"
-I also liked the meth dealer having a Ratatouille flashback. Even though that's kind of a dated reference.
-Best Guest Star Appearance: Gordon Ramsey yelling at Marge, and then hijacking her dream.
Chuck: Chuck Versus The Frosted Tips
Welcome to the maiden test of the new format I'm trying. See the previous post (Tinkering With the Format, Yo!) for details. Let's get into it.
What Happened, Yo!:
-The intersect is affecting Morgan's brain and is making him act erratically.
-Feeling unappreciated by Carmichael Industries, he goes to work for their competitors at Verbanski Corp, the CEO of which Casey has feelings for.
-Before leaving, Morgan steals information about an assignment General Beckman has secretly given the team, and breaks up with Alex.
-Chuck thinks Morgan is just abusing his power like he did in seventh grade when he grew a moustache, and Casey is furious at Morgan, but Sarah begins to suspect something is wrong with him.
-The team breaks into Verbanski Corp to steal back their assignment. Casey and Gertrude Verbanski have a moment. Chuck confronts Morgan who tells them they aren't friends. Chuck manages to tranq Morgan and they escape.
-Ellie tells Sarsh something has been done to the intersect and when Beckman reveals that she wasn't the one who sent the intersect glasses, the team realizes that Clyde Decker had probably sent them in an effort to do something to Chuck. Chuck also realizes Morgan is losing his memory and who he is.
-Finding Morgan is on his way to the sight of their assignment (to capture a man who has classified CIA secrets), there's a confrontation at a helicopter pad, where Chuck is able to get Morgan to remember who he was, and Casey saves Gertrude after a massive explosion. Carmichael Industries gets their target and an agreement is made to split the bounty with Verbanski Corp.
-The team has some money again, and Morgan is back to normal, but Casey is still mad at him and kicks him out, so Sarah and Chuck let him live with them again. All is well...
-Until Chuck learns from Beckman that the CIA has a kill order out on Morgan for talking about the intersect. We then see Morgan approach his van, with a car bomb underneath.
-To Be Continued.
I Liked This:
I really liked the Chuck/Morgan dynamic, which was the the front and centre of this episode. Morgan has been an important character from the beginning because of his relationship with Chuck, and it was good to see that here. I also enjoyed Casey's romantic subplot with Gertrude. Casey has been lacking a proper romantic interest for some time now, and it's handled well here. I also continue to enjoy Ellie's proper integration into the spy world and Beckman's return was appreciated. I miss her as a character. This was also probably the best episode of the fifth season so far.
But...
The minor Captain Awesome/Buy More subplot wasn't that great. I'm hoping a rehabilitated Jeff sticks though, as that could actually add potential to the Buy More. I'm also a little bummed that Morgan having the intersect is being resolved so soon, but hopefully this'll be a good thing in the long run.
Grade: Captain Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-The scene where Chuck pantses Morgan, just like Morgan was pantsed in the seventh grade was a clever way to tranq Morgan, who had been able to dodge the darts in bullet time, before that happened.
-Again Captain Awesome's story wasn't that great, but it did lead to a great Jeff line now that he's stopped sleeping under his car and seems normal: “I will not be party to the reckless endangerment of a coworker!”
What Happened, Yo!:
-The intersect is affecting Morgan's brain and is making him act erratically.
-Feeling unappreciated by Carmichael Industries, he goes to work for their competitors at Verbanski Corp, the CEO of which Casey has feelings for.
-Before leaving, Morgan steals information about an assignment General Beckman has secretly given the team, and breaks up with Alex.
-Chuck thinks Morgan is just abusing his power like he did in seventh grade when he grew a moustache, and Casey is furious at Morgan, but Sarah begins to suspect something is wrong with him.
-The team breaks into Verbanski Corp to steal back their assignment. Casey and Gertrude Verbanski have a moment. Chuck confronts Morgan who tells them they aren't friends. Chuck manages to tranq Morgan and they escape.
-Ellie tells Sarsh something has been done to the intersect and when Beckman reveals that she wasn't the one who sent the intersect glasses, the team realizes that Clyde Decker had probably sent them in an effort to do something to Chuck. Chuck also realizes Morgan is losing his memory and who he is.
-Finding Morgan is on his way to the sight of their assignment (to capture a man who has classified CIA secrets), there's a confrontation at a helicopter pad, where Chuck is able to get Morgan to remember who he was, and Casey saves Gertrude after a massive explosion. Carmichael Industries gets their target and an agreement is made to split the bounty with Verbanski Corp.
-The team has some money again, and Morgan is back to normal, but Casey is still mad at him and kicks him out, so Sarah and Chuck let him live with them again. All is well...
-Until Chuck learns from Beckman that the CIA has a kill order out on Morgan for talking about the intersect. We then see Morgan approach his van, with a car bomb underneath.
-To Be Continued.
I Liked This:
I really liked the Chuck/Morgan dynamic, which was the the front and centre of this episode. Morgan has been an important character from the beginning because of his relationship with Chuck, and it was good to see that here. I also enjoyed Casey's romantic subplot with Gertrude. Casey has been lacking a proper romantic interest for some time now, and it's handled well here. I also continue to enjoy Ellie's proper integration into the spy world and Beckman's return was appreciated. I miss her as a character. This was also probably the best episode of the fifth season so far.
But...
The minor Captain Awesome/Buy More subplot wasn't that great. I'm hoping a rehabilitated Jeff sticks though, as that could actually add potential to the Buy More. I'm also a little bummed that Morgan having the intersect is being resolved so soon, but hopefully this'll be a good thing in the long run.
Grade: Captain Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-The scene where Chuck pantses Morgan, just like Morgan was pantsed in the seventh grade was a clever way to tranq Morgan, who had been able to dodge the darts in bullet time, before that happened.
-Again Captain Awesome's story wasn't that great, but it did lead to a great Jeff line now that he's stopped sleeping under his car and seems normal: “I will not be party to the reckless endangerment of a coworker!”
Tinkering With The Format, Yo!
So Kenny Sage Talks TV, Yo! is now a couple months in, and for the most part, I've worked up a pretty solid system. But, I'm always looking for ways to improve things so I can post faster (and maybe post more things regularly), so this week I'll be trying a couple new things. The first thing will be a new "Special Format" (Like Quicky Opinions or 5 Things I Enjoy...,) that I'll be using for some of the comedies I talk about called Memorable Moments. When I don't have much to say about something (like Simpsons) or don't have time to post a full thing, I'll use the Memorable Moments format, which will be a fast quicky opinion, followed by a big collection of funny lines/sight gags from the episode. Basically a bigger version of the regular Memorable Moments.
The other new thing I'll be trying this week is a change in the regular format, which is why I'm posting about it before hand. Starting with my opinions of Friday's Chuck (hopefully), all regular opinions will look like this for the next week:
What Happened, Yo!: A bullet point summary of the basic plot and major events of the episode.
I Liked This: Here, I'll basically go in-depth into some of the things I specifically liked about the episode.
But...: Here, I'll talk about the things that bugged me about the episode.
Grade and Memorable Moments: These two things will remain unchanged.
I will try this for about a week. Then, I'll decide whether I'll be using this all the time, or just some of the time for specific shows. I really believe these changes will make my blog more efficient for me to write and better for you guys to read. So get excited, because these things are just around the corner!
The other new thing I'll be trying this week is a change in the regular format, which is why I'm posting about it before hand. Starting with my opinions of Friday's Chuck (hopefully), all regular opinions will look like this for the next week:
What Happened, Yo!: A bullet point summary of the basic plot and major events of the episode.
I Liked This: Here, I'll basically go in-depth into some of the things I specifically liked about the episode.
But...: Here, I'll talk about the things that bugged me about the episode.
Grade and Memorable Moments: These two things will remain unchanged.
I will try this for about a week. Then, I'll decide whether I'll be using this all the time, or just some of the time for specific shows. I really believe these changes will make my blog more efficient for me to write and better for you guys to read. So get excited, because these things are just around the corner!
Saturday 12 November 2011
The Office: Pam's Replacement
When I first heard about what Pam's Replacement was going to be about, I got excited. Jim and Pam don't get as many good stories as they used too, and Pam's hormones making her extra crazy sounded like as good a premise as any. Plus as I mentioned last week, Dwight and Pam have a good relationship so when I heard that Dwight would be involved, I knew good things would happen. And although the episode wasn't perfect, good things did indeed happen.
The episode plot was simple, which is always good, because simple allows for more jokes and character moments. Pam is training a temp Office Administrator, for when she goes onto maternity leave (which has to be soon. Though if the birth of Pam's 2nd baby isn't heavily advertised before it happens, that would be a fun surprise.). The temp, Cathy is quite attractive. But the rest of the office is both underplaying her attractiveness and insisting that Pam is still attractive, when Pam is around. Everyone except Dwight, who Pam starts to see as the only honest one. So she enlists Dwight to get Jim to admit that he finds Cathy attractive (which Jim confides to us that he does. But he loves Pam so much, he doesn't plan to tell her while she's heavily pregnant.).
This whole plot had a lot of quality material, but I felt like there could've been more of them trying to figure it out through wacky methods, before the makeshift lie detector test. What we saw was fine and funny, but the matchmaker test wasn't wacky enough for my tastes, and Dwight grabbing Jim's crotch was already spoiled by promos. The lie detector though, with Dwight using a drug store's blood pressure machine delivered on both the funny (Their run-in with an old man who wanted to use the machine. Dwight believing that Jim was lying about his name), and the sweet (Pam's concerned side conquering her suspicious side when they realize that Jim has high blood pressure), so it was fine that some of the stuff leading up to it didn't quite live up to my imagination.
And meanwhile, Andy, Daryl, and Kevin's band (which at the end of the episode officially becomes Kevin and the Zits.) returns in a subplot that was also funny and showed us a new, musically talented side of Robert California. This time, Robert wants to play in their band, and he proves to be a good Harmonica player. But when he invites some friends to join them with some impressive musical pedigree of their own, Andy and company find themselves slowly edged out of their own band. Their efforts to still try and be a part of it were amusing, and it was nice to see them jamming out to Peter Frampton classic "Baby, I Love Your Way" with what they could find in the episode's final scene. It was also good to see Val again, which seems to show that the new warehouse workers will slowly become a steady presence again.
Ultimately, Pam's Replacement wasn't the best episode of season 8 so far or the best Jim/Pam episode, but that's fine. It was still a solid, funny episode of The Office, with good moments for the characters and an earned sweetness at the end. And this far down the line, it's still amazing that the show hasn't had any real decline (at least in my opinion. I'm aware plenty of people believe the show has declined.). Office continues to be good this season, with it's nice ensemble focus. And hopefully, it'll stay this way.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-The cold open started by somewhat recycling a joke from season 4's The Deposition, where Andy wants Erin to fake that an important call is on the line, so he can turn it down and impress a client. But it takes a hilarious turn, when Erin doesn't realize that Andy doesn't want to take the fake call and tells him his mother had died. Andy ultimately takes the call and plays along, despite Daryl's objections on the other end of the line.
-Andy: “CEOs don’t play tambourine. Tambourines are for girlfriends.”
-As the office insists that a pregnant Helen Mirren would be hot, Dwight points out the absurdity of it. “The hottest thing ever is a 66-year-old pregnant woman?”
-Dwight: “Jim has no discernable sense of humor, Pam, you should know that.”
-Dwight: “Does your husband ever have very soft erections, 'cause if not, I just grabbed a very soft penis for nothing.”
-Jim: "Stop shoving me." Dwight: "Aww, 'stop shoving me'. 'Stop grabbing my penis.' Grow up."
-Dwight: "Doesn't it concern you in the slightest that Jim isn't his real name."
The episode plot was simple, which is always good, because simple allows for more jokes and character moments. Pam is training a temp Office Administrator, for when she goes onto maternity leave (which has to be soon. Though if the birth of Pam's 2nd baby isn't heavily advertised before it happens, that would be a fun surprise.). The temp, Cathy is quite attractive. But the rest of the office is both underplaying her attractiveness and insisting that Pam is still attractive, when Pam is around. Everyone except Dwight, who Pam starts to see as the only honest one. So she enlists Dwight to get Jim to admit that he finds Cathy attractive (which Jim confides to us that he does. But he loves Pam so much, he doesn't plan to tell her while she's heavily pregnant.).
This whole plot had a lot of quality material, but I felt like there could've been more of them trying to figure it out through wacky methods, before the makeshift lie detector test. What we saw was fine and funny, but the matchmaker test wasn't wacky enough for my tastes, and Dwight grabbing Jim's crotch was already spoiled by promos. The lie detector though, with Dwight using a drug store's blood pressure machine delivered on both the funny (Their run-in with an old man who wanted to use the machine. Dwight believing that Jim was lying about his name), and the sweet (Pam's concerned side conquering her suspicious side when they realize that Jim has high blood pressure), so it was fine that some of the stuff leading up to it didn't quite live up to my imagination.
And meanwhile, Andy, Daryl, and Kevin's band (which at the end of the episode officially becomes Kevin and the Zits.) returns in a subplot that was also funny and showed us a new, musically talented side of Robert California. This time, Robert wants to play in their band, and he proves to be a good Harmonica player. But when he invites some friends to join them with some impressive musical pedigree of their own, Andy and company find themselves slowly edged out of their own band. Their efforts to still try and be a part of it were amusing, and it was nice to see them jamming out to Peter Frampton classic "Baby, I Love Your Way" with what they could find in the episode's final scene. It was also good to see Val again, which seems to show that the new warehouse workers will slowly become a steady presence again.
Ultimately, Pam's Replacement wasn't the best episode of season 8 so far or the best Jim/Pam episode, but that's fine. It was still a solid, funny episode of The Office, with good moments for the characters and an earned sweetness at the end. And this far down the line, it's still amazing that the show hasn't had any real decline (at least in my opinion. I'm aware plenty of people believe the show has declined.). Office continues to be good this season, with it's nice ensemble focus. And hopefully, it'll stay this way.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-The cold open started by somewhat recycling a joke from season 4's The Deposition, where Andy wants Erin to fake that an important call is on the line, so he can turn it down and impress a client. But it takes a hilarious turn, when Erin doesn't realize that Andy doesn't want to take the fake call and tells him his mother had died. Andy ultimately takes the call and plays along, despite Daryl's objections on the other end of the line.
-Andy: “CEOs don’t play tambourine. Tambourines are for girlfriends.”
-As the office insists that a pregnant Helen Mirren would be hot, Dwight points out the absurdity of it. “The hottest thing ever is a 66-year-old pregnant woman?”
-Dwight: “Jim has no discernable sense of humor, Pam, you should know that.”
-Dwight: “Does your husband ever have very soft erections, 'cause if not, I just grabbed a very soft penis for nothing.”
-Jim: "Stop shoving me." Dwight: "Aww, 'stop shoving me'. 'Stop grabbing my penis.' Grow up."
-Dwight: "Doesn't it concern you in the slightest that Jim isn't his real name."
Parks and Recreation: The Treaty
Last week's Parks and Rec had Leslie and Ben agree to be friends. But that's not always easy for exes (even exes who had as graceful a break-up as Leslie and Ben), so this week's episode had Ben deciding he couldn't do it. Of course, Leslie wasn't that happy about it and so the main conflict of The Treaty was revealed, as she tried to use a high schools model UN to go to war.
This whole storyline was a solid one with a good emotional component. After the first part of the season had little focus on Leslie and Ben following their break-up, it's been nice for these past two episodes to show that it's still an issue. And this time, their unsettled issues almost ruined a group of kid's (well, teenagers) Model UN. Of course, once they settle their issues and decide to have one fun conversation at work a day, they manage to right their wrongs, but it was nice to remind us that Leslie isn't perfect. Of course, the storyline still delivered on the laughs as well, many of them coming from Andy (who's traded all of Finland's boring stuff like armies for every country's lions.) and April (who insists on being the moon.). But Leslie's whole war on Peru was entertaining too, especially with her over the top threat.
Meanwhile, The Treaty also finally brought Tom back into the fold. I appreciate that they dragged his decision to leave for as long as they could, because if he had come back in episode 1 or 2 of the season, it would've felt like a cop-out. But they waited until episode 7, and had Tom be too prideful to come back right away, which allowed for us to watch Ron interview an endless string of Pawnee Oddballs for the position. The best of these was him pretending to be amused when one applicant put "Yes, please" beside the section for Sex. And even when Tom had Ron put on a public show to try and get him back, Tom refused, planning to come back in a couple days, but his plan got derailed when Ron grabbed him and forced him to accept. Anyways, Tom is back where he belongs now, but I'm still hoping that we'll see some of the aftereffects of his experience with Entertainment 720.
The Treaty also gave Ann a chance to finally air out her relationship grievances with Chris, after a season of some unresolved issues. Chris is concerned because Millicent won't return his calls, so he gathers Ann, Donna, and a very reluctant Jerry to try and figure out why. Ann's whole thing about how Chris basically turned her into him and left when he got bored, and how he has to give Millicent space to be herself was very true, and a nice character moment for Ann, who's really coming into her own this year, as someone who's more than just Leslie's friend.
All in all, I felt The Treaty was a very strong episode of Parks and Recreation, that advanced the emotional arcs of many of the characters, while still allowing for some good comedy. Parks and Recreation continues to be dynamite and refusing to get off of the stride they've been on since mid-season 2. I can't wait to see what happens to these characters next.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Tom explains what he's done during his time at the Parks department.: "In my four years here I revolutionized the position of administrator and made this place cool. I was the first person to abbreviate Parks and Recreation department. First it was Parks and Recreation, then Parks and Rec. Then P&R, then I lengthened just a little bit to… Tommy's Place."
-Andy: "I just traded Finland's military to Kenya for 50 lions. That's pretty good, right?"
-Leslie: "I'm back! Or as they say in Denmark: 'I’m back.' Most people speak English."
-One of the applicants for Tom's job is from Gary, Indiana. His name is Gary. Tom is not impressed.
-Leslie: “The only thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!”
-Andy: "If you re-arrange the letters of Peru, you get Europe."
-Leslie is glad when April announces the Moon will join her war on Peru: "We got the freakin' moon. What are you gonna do without tides Peru?"
-April: "OK. You guys are being stupid. Why don't you work it out while Andy and I..." Andy (picking up an Erlenmeyer Flask): "...Throw these scientist bottles off the roof."
This whole storyline was a solid one with a good emotional component. After the first part of the season had little focus on Leslie and Ben following their break-up, it's been nice for these past two episodes to show that it's still an issue. And this time, their unsettled issues almost ruined a group of kid's (well, teenagers) Model UN. Of course, once they settle their issues and decide to have one fun conversation at work a day, they manage to right their wrongs, but it was nice to remind us that Leslie isn't perfect. Of course, the storyline still delivered on the laughs as well, many of them coming from Andy (who's traded all of Finland's boring stuff like armies for every country's lions.) and April (who insists on being the moon.). But Leslie's whole war on Peru was entertaining too, especially with her over the top threat.
Meanwhile, The Treaty also finally brought Tom back into the fold. I appreciate that they dragged his decision to leave for as long as they could, because if he had come back in episode 1 or 2 of the season, it would've felt like a cop-out. But they waited until episode 7, and had Tom be too prideful to come back right away, which allowed for us to watch Ron interview an endless string of Pawnee Oddballs for the position. The best of these was him pretending to be amused when one applicant put "Yes, please" beside the section for Sex. And even when Tom had Ron put on a public show to try and get him back, Tom refused, planning to come back in a couple days, but his plan got derailed when Ron grabbed him and forced him to accept. Anyways, Tom is back where he belongs now, but I'm still hoping that we'll see some of the aftereffects of his experience with Entertainment 720.
The Treaty also gave Ann a chance to finally air out her relationship grievances with Chris, after a season of some unresolved issues. Chris is concerned because Millicent won't return his calls, so he gathers Ann, Donna, and a very reluctant Jerry to try and figure out why. Ann's whole thing about how Chris basically turned her into him and left when he got bored, and how he has to give Millicent space to be herself was very true, and a nice character moment for Ann, who's really coming into her own this year, as someone who's more than just Leslie's friend.
All in all, I felt The Treaty was a very strong episode of Parks and Recreation, that advanced the emotional arcs of many of the characters, while still allowing for some good comedy. Parks and Recreation continues to be dynamite and refusing to get off of the stride they've been on since mid-season 2. I can't wait to see what happens to these characters next.
Grade: Totally Awesome! (Great)
Memorable Moments
-Tom explains what he's done during his time at the Parks department.: "In my four years here I revolutionized the position of administrator and made this place cool. I was the first person to abbreviate Parks and Recreation department. First it was Parks and Recreation, then Parks and Rec. Then P&R, then I lengthened just a little bit to… Tommy's Place."
-Andy: "I just traded Finland's military to Kenya for 50 lions. That's pretty good, right?"
-Leslie: "I'm back! Or as they say in Denmark: 'I’m back.' Most people speak English."
-One of the applicants for Tom's job is from Gary, Indiana. His name is Gary. Tom is not impressed.
-Leslie: “The only thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!”
-Andy: "If you re-arrange the letters of Peru, you get Europe."
-Leslie is glad when April announces the Moon will join her war on Peru: "We got the freakin' moon. What are you gonna do without tides Peru?"
-April: "OK. You guys are being stupid. Why don't you work it out while Andy and I..." Andy (picking up an Erlenmeyer Flask): "...Throw these scientist bottles off the roof."
Community: Studies in Modern Movement
Last night's Community wasn't that dense or complex. It wasn't as dark or meta as other episodes this season. It didn't break any ground or turn conventions on their head. It was however, a lot of fun with characters I have come to care about and with a song I also really loved. And that was all it took for me to enjoy it. A lot.
Following up on Abed's offer for Annie to move in with him and Troy in Remedial Chaos Theory, this week was moving day as everyone gathered to help Annie move from the dangerous neighborhood she lives in. Except for Jeff, but more on that in a sec. Except she starts to get agitated when Troy and Abed use all the packing tape to tape Troy to the door. Britta advises her to just be less uptight though, so she gives it a chance. And she does a good job. Even when she gets concerned because the second bedroom is apparently just a blanket fort, she gets excited when Troy and Abed put on a shadow play depicting how she's been rescued by them. Of course when she finds out that the actual 2nd bedroom is used by the two as a "Dreamatorium ("It's a place for us to have virtual adventures."), she realizes that she shouldn't be the only one who has to adapt and decides she can't move in with them. Until Troy and Abed make it up to her by giving her an actual bedroom (They're moving into the blanket fort. The Dreamtorium is too important.).This storyline was a lot of fun AND actually does feature some character growth for Annie (And Abed and Troy to an extent.).
The rest of the storylines didn't really have any character growth, with the possible exception of Shirley and Britta, who come to an understanding of sorts after their adventure picking up a Hitchhiker who thinks he's Jesus (who loves marijuana and drinking human blood, but is against race mixing.) but they were all a lot of fun. Shirley's and Britta's kinda explains itself. They're arguing about who the moral one is and then Britta picks up a hitchhiker and the scenario I just mentioned above happens. Again, there was a bit of growth here but the real fun in this storyline came from the Jesus the hitchhiker, who was really funny. Pierce's storyline meanwhile, was mainly just there for Chevy Chase to do some physical comedy, as he tried to fix a minor issue at Annie's apartment, only to cause more problems AND inhale paint fumes, but it was a lot of fun. And Annie and Pierce had a nice, small scene together at the end of it.
Jeff's storyline though, probably was the highlight of the episode for me. It had him fake being sick and at the hospital, while he actually shopped at the Gap. Unfortunately he "coincidentally" (I never once believed this was a coincidence) runs into Dean Pelton, who blackmails him into taking him to lunch, and recording a music video to Kiss From A Rose with him. The scene where they do this, while the show cuts between Annie watching the shadow play, Jesus singing a song of his own and Pierce hallucinating that he's playing the piano is the funniest scene of the episode (It also reminded me of the Somewhere Out There/Irish Dancing/Shirley's Speech montage from season 1's Environmental Science, but I love that scene too, so I didn't mind). The plot was also good because they didn't drag it out or take Dean Pelton's obsession with Jeff too far. And the conclusion, where Jeff realizes that the Dean had looked into his student e-mail account and machinated the whole situation, causing him to beat him up as another video starts and the background changes multiple times was gold. As was Jeff realizing that the Dean did wind up tweeting their video as the whole gang mocks him.
Again, this episode of Community wasn't revolutionary by any means. But not every episode can be revolutionary. Some episodes should just be fun. And this was a lot of fun. So I'm still happy with Community this week.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Shirley: “How can I religiously persecute you? You don’t have a religion.”
-"Jesus loves marijuana. Jesus loves marijuana. Jesus loves marijuana... AND DRINKING HUMAN BLOOD!"
-Pierce: How long was I out? Is Napster still a thing?
-The tag, with Troy, Abed, and Annie putting on a shadow puppet play for Jeff and Britta was also gold. As was Jeff's tearful reaction to the death of the Horsebot 3000. “I liked Horsebot 3000.”
Following up on Abed's offer for Annie to move in with him and Troy in Remedial Chaos Theory, this week was moving day as everyone gathered to help Annie move from the dangerous neighborhood she lives in. Except for Jeff, but more on that in a sec. Except she starts to get agitated when Troy and Abed use all the packing tape to tape Troy to the door. Britta advises her to just be less uptight though, so she gives it a chance. And she does a good job. Even when she gets concerned because the second bedroom is apparently just a blanket fort, she gets excited when Troy and Abed put on a shadow play depicting how she's been rescued by them. Of course when she finds out that the actual 2nd bedroom is used by the two as a "Dreamatorium ("It's a place for us to have virtual adventures."), she realizes that she shouldn't be the only one who has to adapt and decides she can't move in with them. Until Troy and Abed make it up to her by giving her an actual bedroom (They're moving into the blanket fort. The Dreamtorium is too important.).This storyline was a lot of fun AND actually does feature some character growth for Annie (And Abed and Troy to an extent.).
The rest of the storylines didn't really have any character growth, with the possible exception of Shirley and Britta, who come to an understanding of sorts after their adventure picking up a Hitchhiker who thinks he's Jesus (who loves marijuana and drinking human blood, but is against race mixing.) but they were all a lot of fun. Shirley's and Britta's kinda explains itself. They're arguing about who the moral one is and then Britta picks up a hitchhiker and the scenario I just mentioned above happens. Again, there was a bit of growth here but the real fun in this storyline came from the Jesus the hitchhiker, who was really funny. Pierce's storyline meanwhile, was mainly just there for Chevy Chase to do some physical comedy, as he tried to fix a minor issue at Annie's apartment, only to cause more problems AND inhale paint fumes, but it was a lot of fun. And Annie and Pierce had a nice, small scene together at the end of it.
Jeff's storyline though, probably was the highlight of the episode for me. It had him fake being sick and at the hospital, while he actually shopped at the Gap. Unfortunately he "coincidentally" (I never once believed this was a coincidence) runs into Dean Pelton, who blackmails him into taking him to lunch, and recording a music video to Kiss From A Rose with him. The scene where they do this, while the show cuts between Annie watching the shadow play, Jesus singing a song of his own and Pierce hallucinating that he's playing the piano is the funniest scene of the episode (It also reminded me of the Somewhere Out There/Irish Dancing/Shirley's Speech montage from season 1's Environmental Science, but I love that scene too, so I didn't mind). The plot was also good because they didn't drag it out or take Dean Pelton's obsession with Jeff too far. And the conclusion, where Jeff realizes that the Dean had looked into his student e-mail account and machinated the whole situation, causing him to beat him up as another video starts and the background changes multiple times was gold. As was Jeff realizing that the Dean did wind up tweeting their video as the whole gang mocks him.
Again, this episode of Community wasn't revolutionary by any means. But not every episode can be revolutionary. Some episodes should just be fun. And this was a lot of fun. So I'm still happy with Community this week.
Grade: Awesome! (Good)
Memorable Moments
-Shirley: “How can I religiously persecute you? You don’t have a religion.”
-"Jesus loves marijuana. Jesus loves marijuana. Jesus loves marijuana... AND DRINKING HUMAN BLOOD!"
-Pierce: How long was I out? Is Napster still a thing?
-The tag, with Troy, Abed, and Annie putting on a shadow puppet play for Jeff and Britta was also gold. As was Jeff's tearful reaction to the death of the Horsebot 3000. “I liked Horsebot 3000.”
Thursday 10 November 2011
5 Things I Enjoyed About Survivor: South Pacific: Cut Throat
"I thought we were supposed to be in the final 3". Those are the last words of Cut Throat, uttered by Jim as he joins Ozzy and Keith on Redemption Island, which just go to show what a game changer Cochran's move last week truly was. Of course, with the rest of Savii now freshly vulnerable, it was pretty clear who would be going to Redemption this week (unless there was another game changing move, which there wasn't.). But the episode was still enjoyable, so here are 5 specific things I enjoyed.
1. For Some Mysterious Reason Savii Hates Cochran: OK, technically I didn't really enjoy watching this, but it was good television. Because oh, man. It was previewed last week, but the first few minutes of Cut Throat were a bit hard to watch, as Ozzy, Jim, and Whitney tore into Cochran hard. Well, Ozzy wasn't that bad. He was at least civil about it, so Cochran sent away bodyguard Brandon. Then Jim told Cochran to never speak to him again and Whitney told Cochran he disgusted her. You can understand their emotions though. If I was in their shoes, I'd've been pissed at Cochran too. As a viewer though, I found his big move exciting, because it changed things up.
2. You Get The Water From The Coconut And Spit It All Out: As a double elimination episode, we got to the duel pretty quick, which had everyone try to shoot a coconut in the basket and then had the first 4 people to do this break coconuts, get a mouthful of coconut water, and rush through an obstacle course trying to fill a vial. And though Whitney and Dawn both made it to the second part, this really was a race between Jim and Sophie. And ultimately, Jim won his survival for another day at least when Sophie threw up just as she was about to beat him. Which leads to...
3. Tribal #1: Send A Message: Though Jim considered transferring his immunity to Ozzy, he ultimately decides against it, and winds up using a big part of tribal council for a wacky speech, where he implores Upolu to vote out Cochran to send a message to future generations of survivors that being devious and dishonorable doesn't get rewarded. Of course, Coach points out that this would also teach future generations of survivors that if you stand up for yourself you get screwed, and Ozzy gets voted out. Nice try though, Jim (also nice was the sand diagram he drew up later in the episode when trying to get Albert and Sophie to flip.)
4. Dawn: So Nice, It's Dangerous: During the second immunity challenge, everyone in Upolu plus Cochran took the option of easting pastries instead of competing, and Dawn made some supportive comments that everyone appreciated. Except Albert realized that Dawn was slowly worming her way into their alliance and that she was really dangerous if she made it to the finals. So he thinks about voting for Dawn instead of Jim (Whitney has immunity.). Of course, this is only there so the forthcoming tribal isn't so predictable, but it'll assumedly be important next week and it was good to see Albert acknowledge that Dawn is dangerous. But of course Upolu + Cochran all vote for Jim. But not before...
5. Tribal #2: Brandon Treats Savii To His Insane Tribal Ramblings: Brandon annoys me as a player, but I have to admit: when he freaks out at Tribal, it's always amusing. This time, Dawn mentions that it was kind of hard for her to watch Upolu stuff themselves at the challenge and he sees it as a contradiction of her earlier support of their decision. Dawn calmly handles her way through it though. Oh! And he also says that they won't stop until Savii is all wiped out. Oh, Brandon. What kind of wacky shenanigans will you get into next week.
And that's five. That's all for now. Expect the regular coverage of Community, Parks and Rec, and Office over the next day or two after they air tonight. And expect me to talk about Chuck again, after missing last week.
1. For Some Mysterious Reason Savii Hates Cochran: OK, technically I didn't really enjoy watching this, but it was good television. Because oh, man. It was previewed last week, but the first few minutes of Cut Throat were a bit hard to watch, as Ozzy, Jim, and Whitney tore into Cochran hard. Well, Ozzy wasn't that bad. He was at least civil about it, so Cochran sent away bodyguard Brandon. Then Jim told Cochran to never speak to him again and Whitney told Cochran he disgusted her. You can understand their emotions though. If I was in their shoes, I'd've been pissed at Cochran too. As a viewer though, I found his big move exciting, because it changed things up.
2. You Get The Water From The Coconut And Spit It All Out: As a double elimination episode, we got to the duel pretty quick, which had everyone try to shoot a coconut in the basket and then had the first 4 people to do this break coconuts, get a mouthful of coconut water, and rush through an obstacle course trying to fill a vial. And though Whitney and Dawn both made it to the second part, this really was a race between Jim and Sophie. And ultimately, Jim won his survival for another day at least when Sophie threw up just as she was about to beat him. Which leads to...
3. Tribal #1: Send A Message: Though Jim considered transferring his immunity to Ozzy, he ultimately decides against it, and winds up using a big part of tribal council for a wacky speech, where he implores Upolu to vote out Cochran to send a message to future generations of survivors that being devious and dishonorable doesn't get rewarded. Of course, Coach points out that this would also teach future generations of survivors that if you stand up for yourself you get screwed, and Ozzy gets voted out. Nice try though, Jim (also nice was the sand diagram he drew up later in the episode when trying to get Albert and Sophie to flip.)
4. Dawn: So Nice, It's Dangerous: During the second immunity challenge, everyone in Upolu plus Cochran took the option of easting pastries instead of competing, and Dawn made some supportive comments that everyone appreciated. Except Albert realized that Dawn was slowly worming her way into their alliance and that she was really dangerous if she made it to the finals. So he thinks about voting for Dawn instead of Jim (Whitney has immunity.). Of course, this is only there so the forthcoming tribal isn't so predictable, but it'll assumedly be important next week and it was good to see Albert acknowledge that Dawn is dangerous. But of course Upolu + Cochran all vote for Jim. But not before...
5. Tribal #2: Brandon Treats Savii To His Insane Tribal Ramblings: Brandon annoys me as a player, but I have to admit: when he freaks out at Tribal, it's always amusing. This time, Dawn mentions that it was kind of hard for her to watch Upolu stuff themselves at the challenge and he sees it as a contradiction of her earlier support of their decision. Dawn calmly handles her way through it though. Oh! And he also says that they won't stop until Savii is all wiped out. Oh, Brandon. What kind of wacky shenanigans will you get into next week.
And that's five. That's all for now. Expect the regular coverage of Community, Parks and Rec, and Office over the next day or two after they air tonight. And expect me to talk about Chuck again, after missing last week.
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