For my last night of Halloween themed reviews, I thought I'd cover the spate of Halloween themed sitcom episodes that have aired over the past week. As a bonus, I'll also be mentioning my favorite costume of each episode.
The Venture Bros -- It was good to have the Ventures back on TV, even if for just one night; ready for the new season to start. While not the show's strongest effort, it did feature a strange appliance faced Cennobite-esque creature intoning "Submit to my pleasure toast!" and you just can't beat that. Best costume: Pete White as "Thinner Whiter Duke"
Ben and Kate -- This has proven to be my favorite new sitcom of the year, and the Halloween episode highlights all of the show's strengths: Ben and Tommy acting goofy, Kate somehow making being a total control freak seem totally cut, and plenty of BJ/Maddy interaction. Highlight was Ben realizing that his past behavior of blowing in and out of town made him an "emotional carny"; I hope that signals more plots where Tommy acts as more than just Ben's yes-man. I also hope that Geoff Stults will be around for a while as Kate's new potential love interest. Best costume of the episode: Kate as "Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg"
The New Girl -- Before I watched this episode, I'd gotten a text from TopGun saying it was so funny, he had saved it on his DVR to watch later. About 1/3 of the way through, I was thinking he had way oversold it. Then we had Schmidt's repeated failed attempts at headbutting, and I began to rethink my assessment. And then Nick entered the haunted house, and I laughed nonstop for several minutes; Nick's constant freakout was comedy gold. Best costume: Jess as "Zombie Woodie Allen"
The Middle -- Very little of the episode was actually Halloween themed, with the bulk of the plot revolving around Sue's attempts to learn how to drive and Axel's surprising excitement about voting, but the one Halloween themed plot -- Brick consuming monster amounts of sugar that made him act normal -- was the highlight of the episode, especially when he came down. Best costume: Frankie as "Raggedy Mouse"
Modern Family -- Overall, much inferior to the previous Halloween episode about the Dunphy's over-the-top Halloween traditions, but the episode was still worth it for the visual gag of Manny getting opposing advice from kids in angel and devil costumes. Best costume: Luke as the aforementioned devil.
Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23 -- I'm probably the only person who was disappointed that the plot point of James van der Beek hating the scary side of Halloween didn't result in June remarking that it was ironic since Dawson loved scaring people. That irrational quibble aside, I loved this episode: James's positivity party was inspired, and the twists in Chloe's romance were both unexpected and hilarious. Best costume: June as "female hobbit" because of the thematic resonance . . . and hairy feet, because if we're not being authentic, why are we even here?!?!?!?!
Suburgatory -- Normally I'm not bothered by how bizarre the people of Chatswin are, but the angry mob accusing the feminist of being a witch felt like it was stretching the premise a bit too much. Best costume: a group shout out to Tess and crew as Mystery Inc.
The Big Bang Theory -- I'll admit I was kind of distracted during this episode, and since a DVR log-jam forced me to watch it live, I wasn't able to rewind to catch any of the bits I missed. Best costume: Bernadette as Smurfette.
Raising Hope -- "That is the definition of trickerish!" Burt continues to be one of my favorite characters on TV. Best costume: Barney as "Buy in Bulk Hulk"
The Mindy Project -- Although I've enjoyed this series more than I'd expected to, this was probably the weakest episode so far, although I did enjoy Mindy's costume montage. Best costume: Mindy's "Li'l Wayne on the Prarie"
Showing posts with label Comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comedy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 28 -- Not Your Parents' Munsters: A Review of "Mockingbird Lane"
When I first heard about , Bryan Fuller's re-imagining of The Munsters, named Mockinbird Lane after their street address, I was not exactly enamored of the idea, never having been a big Munsters fan. However, I have loved most everything Bryan Fuller has been involved with (Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, the all-to-short-lived Wonderfalls),
so I was willing to give it a chance. As more information about the
project was released, the more excited I got, until I was actually
depressed when it was announced that NBC was not picking the pilot up.
The subsequent news that they would at least be airing the pilot prior
to Halloween lifted my spirits, since now I would at least be able to
see the full show, and there was a slim chance that its ratings might be
big enough to justify a series order after all.
The plot of the Mockingbird Lane pilot follows the Muster clan as they relocate to a new home in a new city after young Eddie has his first werewolf outbreak while camping with his old scout group. While Eddie is aware that his parents and grandfather are all out of the ordinary, he believes that he is perfectly normal like his cousin Marilyn, and most of the episode is spend with Herman and Lilly debating on whether to fill in the gaps in Eddie's memory from his lycanthropic episode, since he doesn't remember a thing. Meanwhile, Grandpa Munster is determined to stop tip-toeing around the topic and help Eddie embrace his supernatural heritage; Grandpa is also tired of "not drinking," and keeps pushing against the constraints his daughter and son-in-law are trying to place on him. When Herman's heart -- his last original organ -- begins to fail, Grandpa sees an opportunity to use that need to convince Herman to let him feed on a viable candidate.
The first thing to keep in mind when watching the pilot of Mockingbird Lane is that it takes a sort of Battlestar Gallactica approach to its source material, keeping names and the bare minimum premise, but revamping it into something that is barely recognizable. For some this could be a detriment; for others, a move in the right direction, depending on your attachment to the original series and how receptive you might be to the new show's distinctive tone. For me, the show's dark and twisty sensibility, which featured some nicely gruesome moments, made me a fan. While I know some critics decried its shifting tone, I felt that it actually had a pretty singular vision, and that while it walked the line between comedy and horror, it never veered so far one was or the other that I felt pulled out of the story. I don't know if there's any chance for Mockingbird Lane to go to series now, but I for one would be ecstatic if it did.
The plot of the Mockingbird Lane pilot follows the Muster clan as they relocate to a new home in a new city after young Eddie has his first werewolf outbreak while camping with his old scout group. While Eddie is aware that his parents and grandfather are all out of the ordinary, he believes that he is perfectly normal like his cousin Marilyn, and most of the episode is spend with Herman and Lilly debating on whether to fill in the gaps in Eddie's memory from his lycanthropic episode, since he doesn't remember a thing. Meanwhile, Grandpa Munster is determined to stop tip-toeing around the topic and help Eddie embrace his supernatural heritage; Grandpa is also tired of "not drinking," and keeps pushing against the constraints his daughter and son-in-law are trying to place on him. When Herman's heart -- his last original organ -- begins to fail, Grandpa sees an opportunity to use that need to convince Herman to let him feed on a viable candidate.
The first thing to keep in mind when watching the pilot of Mockingbird Lane is that it takes a sort of Battlestar Gallactica approach to its source material, keeping names and the bare minimum premise, but revamping it into something that is barely recognizable. For some this could be a detriment; for others, a move in the right direction, depending on your attachment to the original series and how receptive you might be to the new show's distinctive tone. For me, the show's dark and twisty sensibility, which featured some nicely gruesome moments, made me a fan. While I know some critics decried its shifting tone, I felt that it actually had a pretty singular vision, and that while it walked the line between comedy and horror, it never veered so far one was or the other that I felt pulled out of the story. I don't know if there's any chance for Mockingbird Lane to go to series now, but I for one would be ecstatic if it did.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 19 -- Horrific, Maybe, but Horror ?: Areview of "Excision"
The blurbs for the recent film Excision paint it as a horror film about a morbid little girl obsessed with dissecting roadkill. And while that description is partly true, I feel that the blurb doesn't really capture the spirit of this odd little film.
The protagonists of the film is the morbid Pauline, a socially awkward girl whose parents not only don't understand her, but are often actively hostile towards her while heaping love upon her younger sister who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. Pauline escapes into sexual fantasies of a morbid (and often necrophiliac) nature. Scorned and rejected by everyone around her except her younger sister, Pauline begins to act out in increasingly disturbing ways.
For the majority of the film, Excision plays more as a dark comedy then as horror. As a matter fact, outside of some brief disturbing fantasy sequences, the only real moment of horror happens in the last 10 minutes of the film. I don't want to quibble about the movie's genre label; there have been many horror films which have not featured any true horror until the last reel. However, there is usually a sense of slowly building tension in such films that is largely absent from Excision; if I hadn't known it was being sold as a horror film, the finale would have been doubly shocking due to its escalation of Pauline's mental issues.
That being said, I enjoyed this film quite a lot, even if it wasn't quite what I was expecting. AnnaLynne McCord did a great job making the character of Pauline both engaging and offputting, and I'm curious to see some of her other roles for comparison's sake. And, for film I've never heard of before it popped up on my Netflix "new releases" page, it had quite an interesting cast, including Marly Matlin, Traci Lords, Roger Bart, Malcolm McDowell, Ray Wise, John Waters, and Ariel "Alex from Modern Family" Winter as the younger sister. I appreciated the films dark humor, even as I kept waiting for it to blossom into something worse.
Excision is not film I would feel comfortable recommending to too many people due to its offbeat feel and disturbing imagery, but if you have a taste for the dark and twisty, you might give it a try.
The protagonists of the film is the morbid Pauline, a socially awkward girl whose parents not only don't understand her, but are often actively hostile towards her while heaping love upon her younger sister who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. Pauline escapes into sexual fantasies of a morbid (and often necrophiliac) nature. Scorned and rejected by everyone around her except her younger sister, Pauline begins to act out in increasingly disturbing ways.
For the majority of the film, Excision plays more as a dark comedy then as horror. As a matter fact, outside of some brief disturbing fantasy sequences, the only real moment of horror happens in the last 10 minutes of the film. I don't want to quibble about the movie's genre label; there have been many horror films which have not featured any true horror until the last reel. However, there is usually a sense of slowly building tension in such films that is largely absent from Excision; if I hadn't known it was being sold as a horror film, the finale would have been doubly shocking due to its escalation of Pauline's mental issues.
That being said, I enjoyed this film quite a lot, even if it wasn't quite what I was expecting. AnnaLynne McCord did a great job making the character of Pauline both engaging and offputting, and I'm curious to see some of her other roles for comparison's sake. And, for film I've never heard of before it popped up on my Netflix "new releases" page, it had quite an interesting cast, including Marly Matlin, Traci Lords, Roger Bart, Malcolm McDowell, Ray Wise, John Waters, and Ariel "Alex from Modern Family" Winter as the younger sister. I appreciated the films dark humor, even as I kept waiting for it to blossom into something worse.
Excision is not film I would feel comfortable recommending to too many people due to its offbeat feel and disturbing imagery, but if you have a taste for the dark and twisty, you might give it a try.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 10 -- Taking a Walk on the Dead Side: A Review of "AAAH! Zombies!!"
AAAH! Zombies!! (also released as Wasting Away) is a zombie comedy -- a mash-up which I've seen referenced as both "zom-com" and "zomedy" -- follows a group of friends who accidentally ingest some toxic goo which causes them to become zombies; the twist is, they don't realize it, still seeing themselves as normal, and everyone else around them messed up. The film swaps back and forth between the full-color POV of the zombified friends, who can't understand why everyone around them is suddenly moving at super-speeds,talking in gibberish, and attacking them for no reason; and the black-and-white POV of the uninfected humans, who of course see them as the slow-moving, moaning precursors of the zombie apocalypse.
The humor of the film lies largely in the incongruity between how the zombies see themselves, and how they appear to the rest of the world, but also finds ways to play off of zombie tropes in a fun way. While not as clever or well made as the pinnacles of zomedy -- Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland -- I found the film's unique take on the zombie story to be highly entertaining, and would recommend it to zom-com fans everywhere.
For those curious about it, the movie is currently available to watch for free on Hulu
The humor of the film lies largely in the incongruity between how the zombies see themselves, and how they appear to the rest of the world, but also finds ways to play off of zombie tropes in a fun way. While not as clever or well made as the pinnacles of zomedy -- Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland -- I found the film's unique take on the zombie story to be highly entertaining, and would recommend it to zom-com fans everywhere.
For those curious about it, the movie is currently available to watch for free on Hulu
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 7 -- "Hellarious Halloween" Might Be a Misnomer On a Couple of Fronts
Since Fox actually aired its animated shows' Halloween episodes before Halloween this year, I thought I'd go ahead and do a quick write-up on each of the "Hellarious Halloween" line-up
The Cleveland Show -- Although set during Halloween, outside of a brief digression where the Cleveland and the gang put on costumes to hide their identities, the holiday is incidental to the A-plot of them accidentally igniting a war between Stoolbend and their rival town Goochland; at the same time, the final confrontation between the two had some horrific moments; the mole-eyed Stoolbendians was probably my favorite bit of the whole episode. The B and C plots both revolved around some costume-related mistaken identity, one intentional, the other not; neither was really worth the effort. All in all, a pretty mediocre half-hour of TV which, to be honest, is what I've come to expect of The Cleveland Show.
The Simpsons -- The 23rd installment of "Treehouse of Horror" -- man, does that make me feel old -- highlights one of my problems with the direction the annual Halloween episode has moved over the years, as only one of the three stories could be considered even remotely horror themed. I don't know that the reliance on generic Sci-Fi tropes rather than Horror tropes would bother me so much if the show actually made me laugh as much as it used to. But, outside of the gag about Homer's black-hole deformed appendages, most everything in this episode fell flat for me.
Bob's Burgers -- The most explicitly Halloween-centered show of the group was also the funniest, which wasn't too surprising to me, since I generally find BB to be the cream of the Animation Domination crop. What was surprising to me was that almost all of my big laughs came not from my favorite character Louise, but from her brother Gene. I guess dressing up as Queen Latifah (during her U.N.I.T.Y. phase) brought out the funny in the middle child. When confronted with the idea of taking on teens wielding balloons filled with pee: "I can pee myself, I don't need any handouts." After being slapped by Louise: "I banish you from the land of Latifah!" On hearing his sister compare the country club to a extra large miniature golf course: "The windmills are going to be GIGANTIC!" The parental-focused B-plot couldn't help but pale in comparison, but the sheer number of great moments in the kids' plot carried the episode.
Family Guy -- Despite being billed as part of the "Hellarious" line-up, this episode had zero connection to Halloween. The Nielsen-based plot was a little more nonsensical than usual, but I have to admit, I'm kind of sad we didn't get to see Breaking Bad on Roller Skates.
American Dad -- Another non-Halloween episode to finish out the night, but at least it has the excuse that Fox's weird stock-piling of episodes -- they have about two seasons worth sitting around waiting for air-- means that the writers try to avoid any sort of topical reference. Regardless, it was easily my second favorite show of the night, if for no other reason than the suicidal lemur sequence.
Random observation tally
# of shows to reference The Warriors' "Come out and play" scene: 2
# of shows featuring jokes about fat guys having breasts: 2
The Cleveland Show -- Although set during Halloween, outside of a brief digression where the Cleveland and the gang put on costumes to hide their identities, the holiday is incidental to the A-plot of them accidentally igniting a war between Stoolbend and their rival town Goochland; at the same time, the final confrontation between the two had some horrific moments; the mole-eyed Stoolbendians was probably my favorite bit of the whole episode. The B and C plots both revolved around some costume-related mistaken identity, one intentional, the other not; neither was really worth the effort. All in all, a pretty mediocre half-hour of TV which, to be honest, is what I've come to expect of The Cleveland Show.
The Simpsons -- The 23rd installment of "Treehouse of Horror" -- man, does that make me feel old -- highlights one of my problems with the direction the annual Halloween episode has moved over the years, as only one of the three stories could be considered even remotely horror themed. I don't know that the reliance on generic Sci-Fi tropes rather than Horror tropes would bother me so much if the show actually made me laugh as much as it used to. But, outside of the gag about Homer's black-hole deformed appendages, most everything in this episode fell flat for me.
Bob's Burgers -- The most explicitly Halloween-centered show of the group was also the funniest, which wasn't too surprising to me, since I generally find BB to be the cream of the Animation Domination crop. What was surprising to me was that almost all of my big laughs came not from my favorite character Louise, but from her brother Gene. I guess dressing up as Queen Latifah (during her U.N.I.T.Y. phase) brought out the funny in the middle child. When confronted with the idea of taking on teens wielding balloons filled with pee: "I can pee myself, I don't need any handouts." After being slapped by Louise: "I banish you from the land of Latifah!" On hearing his sister compare the country club to a extra large miniature golf course: "The windmills are going to be GIGANTIC!" The parental-focused B-plot couldn't help but pale in comparison, but the sheer number of great moments in the kids' plot carried the episode.
Family Guy -- Despite being billed as part of the "Hellarious" line-up, this episode had zero connection to Halloween. The Nielsen-based plot was a little more nonsensical than usual, but I have to admit, I'm kind of sad we didn't get to see Breaking Bad on Roller Skates.
American Dad -- Another non-Halloween episode to finish out the night, but at least it has the excuse that Fox's weird stock-piling of episodes -- they have about two seasons worth sitting around waiting for air-- means that the writers try to avoid any sort of topical reference. Regardless, it was easily my second favorite show of the night, if for no other reason than the suicidal lemur sequence.
Random observation tally
# of shows to reference The Warriors' "Come out and play" scene: 2
# of shows featuring jokes about fat guys having breasts: 2
Monday, October 25, 2010
Comedy Corner for week of Oct. 18: Plot Point Pet Peeves
A lot of last week's comedies contained a fair amount of "things designed to bug Todd" -- not a large enough dose to ruin my enjoyment of a full episode, but enough to make me squirm.
MONDAY, OCT 18
How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:00): I liked the crazy activist, even if she did lead to one of my big plot point pet peeves, the "main character lies to potential girlfriend in order to make her an actual girlfriend," a.k.a. "The Frasier Crane Maneuver." But, at least it lead to the great moment where Barney reveals the lie via giant signage.
TUESDAY, OCT 19
Running Wilde (Fox, 8:30): Why do networks insist on airing episodes out of order? Granted, it doesn't always impact the plot development, but when the 5th episode you air very plainly states that it happens directly after the pilot, it can't help but bother me to some degree.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 20
The Middle (ABC, 7:00): I wasn't a big fan of this episode on the whole, even if they did avoid the obvious "picked up the wrong kid" reveal that I'm sure 99% of viewers were expecting with dread, but the payoff at the end with Takiuchi pulling a Brick almost made it worth it.
Modern Family (ABC, 8:00): As much as I love this show -- and I do love this show -- there are moments where it causes me physical pain; Cam's idiotic racist impression was one of those moments. But that brief moment of uncomfortableness was made bearable by the comedic joy of the Dunphy's no-electronics contest, especially Haley's cunning plan.
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30): I enjoyed Laurie and Smith's pranking of the guys at the bar, although I hated that it was a set-up for the inevitable "Laurie gets hurt again" ending.
THURSDAY, OCT 21
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:00): Once again, the Shamy premise leads to some great comedy; unfortunately, we also had to deal with one of the more disturbing examples of Wolowitz's mom based "comedy."
Community (NBC, 7:00): I was a bit surprised to have another episode focusing on religious ideas so soon after the one about Pierce's cult, but I have to say that Abed's positioning of himself as the meta-Messiah struck a much deeper chord in me due to his story playing out as a parallel of a Passion play; it definitely walked a fine line between "entertaining" and "uncomfortable". Meanwhile, Jeff's transformation into the dad of the group was played very well, as was the not-so-juvenile-but-still-delinquent Hipsters.
30 Rock (NBC, 7:30): Not exactly the strongest episode of the season, although Jack's Reagening and Liz's flashback were great, and while a little over the top, the "FRAJER!!!!!" bit made me laugh.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9:00): Of all the different character pairings on the show, I tend to enjoy the Charlie/Mac dynamic the most; their special brands of stupidity/insanity just seem to compliment each other the best, and their efforts to get their moms to get along this week was no exception.
The League (FX, 9:30): Have to say, between the addictive toilet seat, the notary gig, and this week's wedding video, Taco is officially my favorite character on the show. Surprisingly, while this season has had its fair share of "pet peeve" moments for me, while most of the other comedies were getting under my skin, The League managed to skate by.
MONDAY, OCT 18
How I Met Your Mother (CBS 7:00): I liked the crazy activist, even if she did lead to one of my big plot point pet peeves, the "main character lies to potential girlfriend in order to make her an actual girlfriend," a.k.a. "The Frasier Crane Maneuver." But, at least it lead to the great moment where Barney reveals the lie via giant signage.
TUESDAY, OCT 19
Running Wilde (Fox, 8:30): Why do networks insist on airing episodes out of order? Granted, it doesn't always impact the plot development, but when the 5th episode you air very plainly states that it happens directly after the pilot, it can't help but bother me to some degree.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 20
The Middle (ABC, 7:00): I wasn't a big fan of this episode on the whole, even if they did avoid the obvious "picked up the wrong kid" reveal that I'm sure 99% of viewers were expecting with dread, but the payoff at the end with Takiuchi pulling a Brick almost made it worth it.
Modern Family (ABC, 8:00): As much as I love this show -- and I do love this show -- there are moments where it causes me physical pain; Cam's idiotic racist impression was one of those moments. But that brief moment of uncomfortableness was made bearable by the comedic joy of the Dunphy's no-electronics contest, especially Haley's cunning plan.
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30): I enjoyed Laurie and Smith's pranking of the guys at the bar, although I hated that it was a set-up for the inevitable "Laurie gets hurt again" ending.
THURSDAY, OCT 21
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:00): Once again, the Shamy premise leads to some great comedy; unfortunately, we also had to deal with one of the more disturbing examples of Wolowitz's mom based "comedy."
Community (NBC, 7:00): I was a bit surprised to have another episode focusing on religious ideas so soon after the one about Pierce's cult, but I have to say that Abed's positioning of himself as the meta-Messiah struck a much deeper chord in me due to his story playing out as a parallel of a Passion play; it definitely walked a fine line between "entertaining" and "uncomfortable". Meanwhile, Jeff's transformation into the dad of the group was played very well, as was the not-so-juvenile-but-still-delinquent Hipsters.
30 Rock (NBC, 7:30): Not exactly the strongest episode of the season, although Jack's Reagening and Liz's flashback were great, and while a little over the top, the "FRAJER!!!!!" bit made me laugh.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9:00): Of all the different character pairings on the show, I tend to enjoy the Charlie/Mac dynamic the most; their special brands of stupidity/insanity just seem to compliment each other the best, and their efforts to get their moms to get along this week was no exception.
The League (FX, 9:30): Have to say, between the addictive toilet seat, the notary gig, and this week's wedding video, Taco is officially my favorite character on the show. Surprisingly, while this season has had its fair share of "pet peeve" moments for me, while most of the other comedies were getting under my skin, The League managed to skate by.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Comedy Corner for week of Oct. 11: Brobdingnagian Laughs; Lilliputian Comments
MONDAY, OCT 11
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7:00): My favorite episode of the season so far; the crazy race through New York hit just the right level of wackiness for me.
TUESDAY, OCT 12
Glee (Fox, 7:00): It's amazing: the first episode of the season with absolutely zero Sue Sylvester scenes also happens to be the first episode of the season that I actually enjoyed. There are several factors which contributed to the quantum leap forward in my enjoyment. First of all there's the fact that none of the characters were written as wholly unlikable . . . well, except maybe Santana, but at least she's always been intended to be horrible, as opposed to Rachel, whose narcissism reached toxic levels in the first few episodes. Along those lines, I loved watching Rachel's scheming be for a more positive goal, while still fitting with her personality. And, most of all, I loved seeing Kurt finally getting called out for his culpability in Finn's breakdown last season.
Raising Hope (Fox, 8:00): This show consistently makes me laugh out loud more than any other show I watch.
Running Wilde (Fox, 8:30): Best part of the episode by far was Fa'ad doing the "tough guy" voice taught to him by Alan Alda. Outside of that, the two misunderstanding-fueled plot lines were surprisingly squirm-free for me for some reason -- I suppose the cartoonish world the show inhabits makes such things more bearable.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 13
The Middle (ABC, 7:00): Brick's foray into magic was the highlight this week, although the contentious school meeting was a close second.
Better With You (ABC, 7:30): I removed several shows from my DVR this week since I had neither the time nor the inclination to watch them, and yet somehow, this show still survives; think it may officially qualify as a "guilty pleasure" at this point. That being said, it's probably just one bad episode away from getting cut, but for now, I'm still hanging in there.
Modern Family (ABC, 8:00): Favorite moment of the episode had to be Claire's laughing without her eyes, but Cameron's "troga" was a pretty close second. And was I the only one disappointed when the Strangers on a Train plot didn't result in someone saying "Crisscross, crisscross!" repeatedly?
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30): Pros: Jules turning her decision into a Reality TV ceremony, all of Ellie's harsh truth moments, the chocolate manatee. Cons: the actual plot points and their resolutions; hated seeing Travis cave in to Kylie, and hated seeing Smith dump Laurie. Plus, the "swallow the sword" phrase came off feeling forced.
THURSDAY, OCT 14
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:00): Thank you, Big Bang Theory, for giving me an excuse to use "Brobdingnagian" several times in conversation this week.
Community (NBC, 7:00): And the award for "Best Product Placement" goes to Community's KFC space simulator.
30 Rock (NBC, 7:30): I watched both versions of the live episode, and have to say I preferred the West Coast version just a bit more, although the best part in either version was Jon Hamm's hand-replacement ad, followed closely by the first whip-pan flashback.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9:00): The Charlie/Mac storyline was streets ahead compared to the Dee/Dennis storyline for the most part, although the highlight of the episode for me was the pool attendant tackling Dennis during his mad rush for the water.
The League (FX, 9:30): As is often the case, the Andre storyline was borderline annoying, but it was more than made up for by Jenny and Kevin's faceoff and the Taco and Ruxin notary storylines, especially Taco's commercial.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Comedy Corner for week of Oct. 4 : Sitcom Spirtuality
Continuing my new genre/format driven TV review style, here are some thoughts on last week's comedies, featuring three very different shows exploring three very different takes on religion/spirituality.
MONDAY, OCT 4
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7:00): I have to agree with Matt Roush's review: the "Where's the poop?" phrase wore out its welcome incredibly quickly. I had no problem with the concept of Lilly being able to ascertain with a look if Robin had misbehaved, but the phrase chosen to convey the idea was unfortunate to say the least. I did enjoy Barney's attempts to woo Ted through his usual pick-up moves.
TUESDAY, OCT 5
Glee (Fox, 7:00): Went back and forth on whether to classify this as a comedy, drama, or other, but since the aspects of the show I enjoy the most are the comedic ones, that's where it finally wound up. As for this episode, despite it being in many ways a step up over the first two episodes of the season, I felt quite let down by it, if for no other reason than I'd seen many critics hailing it as a return to form for the show. Sadly, despite some fun moments -- Brittany's book report, Sue's rants -- and a couple of good performances -- enjoyed the rendition of "Losing My Religion," and was pleased that my guess that Rachel was going to do "Papa Can You Hear Me" proved correct -- the show was derailed for me by its heavy-handedness. And yes, even at its best Glee can be heavy-handed, but the forced nature of the "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something" scenes kept me from fully enjoying the experience.
Raising Hope (Fox, 8:00): First, let's take a moment to rejoice in the fact that Fox has shown the (rare (for them)) good sense to order a full season's worth of my favorite new show of the year. While maybe not as consistently laugh-out-loud funny as the first two episodes, this still provided me with plenty of opportunities to wonder if my neighbors can hear my braying laugh.
Running Wilde (Fox, 8:30): I'm a little tired of seeing people excoriate this show for trying too hard to be Arrested Development due to its occasional bits of dialogue for Will Arnett that are possible callbacks to GOB. Considering how many times AD had winking nods to its actors' former roles, I think the odd GOB-flavored line or two isn't anything to get too worked up over. I'm still enjoying the show, which I think had its strongest episode yet thanks to allowing Steven to interact with some more real-world characters, but I'm not confident in its chances of getting a back-9 order.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 6
The Middle (ABC, 7:00): Sue's facial expressions as she was being dunked by Sean in the pool was some excellent physical comedy. Also excellent was Brick's progressive testing of Frankie's "tangled web" of motherly lies. Not quite as excellent was Frankie's breakdown at the end, but let's be honest, Frankie-centric plot-lines are usually the weak points of the show.
Better With You (ABC, 7:30): I've primarily been using this innocuous and predictable sitcom as background noise while doing other stuff -- like writing blog posts -- and would probably just delete it from my DVR settings if it weren't for the fact that I find Josh Cooke's character oddly entertaining, and am endlessly fascinated to see Debra Jo Rupp (a.k.a. Kitty from That 70s Show) play a frosty, uptight character.
Modern Family (ABC, 8:00): The second show of the week to explore questions of spirituality was definitely the most grounded -- of course, the fact that the other two were the consistently over-the-top Glee and Community doesn't really make that much of an achievement. I enjoyed the interplay between the very religious Gloria, the not-so-religious Jay, and the uncertain Manny caught in-between.
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30): There are times when Jules' craziness is a bit much for me, and this episode was a prime example. On the other hand, Grayson's attempts to deal with the craziness was comedy gold, as was the Ellie/Laurie feud.
THURSDAY, OCT 7
Community (NBC, 7:00): The final part of the spirituality trifecta managed to merge the over-the-top nature of Glee with the "actually being funny" of Modern Family. Of course, where Glee and Modern Family focused on actual religions, Community used a fictional cult to explore ideas of religious tolerance and compassion much more effectively than Glee, in my opinion.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:00): After a couple of relatively lackluster episodes, BBT was back in fine form this week. Most of that can be attributed to the Shamy dynamic -- here's hoping they keep Amy Farrah-Fowler around for a while. A part of me would love to see Leonard's mother interact with Shamy, but another part worries that a triple dose of Sheldon-style personalities might be a bit too much. Still, the possibility that Amy might feel jealous of the respect Sheldon has for Leonard's mom makes for an intriguing thought, no?
30 Rock (NBC, 7:30): The unintentional racism scenes weren't exactly this show's finest hour, but it was worth it to have Queen Latifah around.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9:00): By far the strongest episode of the season*. Loved seeing the parade of supporting characters being brought onto the ill-fated podcast, and Mac's preparation for his appearance on the ice was great as well.
The League (FX, 9:30): All I can say is thank heavens this episode puts an end to the Rafi storyline.
*And I'm not just saying that because Zinger has Dish Network and so doesn't get FX anymore and had to miss it. . . honest
MONDAY, OCT 4
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7:00): I have to agree with Matt Roush's review: the "Where's the poop?" phrase wore out its welcome incredibly quickly. I had no problem with the concept of Lilly being able to ascertain with a look if Robin had misbehaved, but the phrase chosen to convey the idea was unfortunate to say the least. I did enjoy Barney's attempts to woo Ted through his usual pick-up moves.
TUESDAY, OCT 5
Glee (Fox, 7:00): Went back and forth on whether to classify this as a comedy, drama, or other, but since the aspects of the show I enjoy the most are the comedic ones, that's where it finally wound up. As for this episode, despite it being in many ways a step up over the first two episodes of the season, I felt quite let down by it, if for no other reason than I'd seen many critics hailing it as a return to form for the show. Sadly, despite some fun moments -- Brittany's book report, Sue's rants -- and a couple of good performances -- enjoyed the rendition of "Losing My Religion," and was pleased that my guess that Rachel was going to do "Papa Can You Hear Me" proved correct -- the show was derailed for me by its heavy-handedness. And yes, even at its best Glee can be heavy-handed, but the forced nature of the "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something" scenes kept me from fully enjoying the experience.
Raising Hope (Fox, 8:00): First, let's take a moment to rejoice in the fact that Fox has shown the (rare (for them)) good sense to order a full season's worth of my favorite new show of the year. While maybe not as consistently laugh-out-loud funny as the first two episodes, this still provided me with plenty of opportunities to wonder if my neighbors can hear my braying laugh.
Running Wilde (Fox, 8:30): I'm a little tired of seeing people excoriate this show for trying too hard to be Arrested Development due to its occasional bits of dialogue for Will Arnett that are possible callbacks to GOB. Considering how many times AD had winking nods to its actors' former roles, I think the odd GOB-flavored line or two isn't anything to get too worked up over. I'm still enjoying the show, which I think had its strongest episode yet thanks to allowing Steven to interact with some more real-world characters, but I'm not confident in its chances of getting a back-9 order.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 6
The Middle (ABC, 7:00): Sue's facial expressions as she was being dunked by Sean in the pool was some excellent physical comedy. Also excellent was Brick's progressive testing of Frankie's "tangled web" of motherly lies. Not quite as excellent was Frankie's breakdown at the end, but let's be honest, Frankie-centric plot-lines are usually the weak points of the show.
Better With You (ABC, 7:30): I've primarily been using this innocuous and predictable sitcom as background noise while doing other stuff -- like writing blog posts -- and would probably just delete it from my DVR settings if it weren't for the fact that I find Josh Cooke's character oddly entertaining, and am endlessly fascinated to see Debra Jo Rupp (a.k.a. Kitty from That 70s Show) play a frosty, uptight character.
Modern Family (ABC, 8:00): The second show of the week to explore questions of spirituality was definitely the most grounded -- of course, the fact that the other two were the consistently over-the-top Glee and Community doesn't really make that much of an achievement. I enjoyed the interplay between the very religious Gloria, the not-so-religious Jay, and the uncertain Manny caught in-between.
Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30): There are times when Jules' craziness is a bit much for me, and this episode was a prime example. On the other hand, Grayson's attempts to deal with the craziness was comedy gold, as was the Ellie/Laurie feud.
THURSDAY, OCT 7
Community (NBC, 7:00): The final part of the spirituality trifecta managed to merge the over-the-top nature of Glee with the "actually being funny" of Modern Family. Of course, where Glee and Modern Family focused on actual religions, Community used a fictional cult to explore ideas of religious tolerance and compassion much more effectively than Glee, in my opinion.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7:00): After a couple of relatively lackluster episodes, BBT was back in fine form this week. Most of that can be attributed to the Shamy dynamic -- here's hoping they keep Amy Farrah-Fowler around for a while. A part of me would love to see Leonard's mother interact with Shamy, but another part worries that a triple dose of Sheldon-style personalities might be a bit too much. Still, the possibility that Amy might feel jealous of the respect Sheldon has for Leonard's mom makes for an intriguing thought, no?
30 Rock (NBC, 7:30): The unintentional racism scenes weren't exactly this show's finest hour, but it was worth it to have Queen Latifah around.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9:00): By far the strongest episode of the season*. Loved seeing the parade of supporting characters being brought onto the ill-fated podcast, and Mac's preparation for his appearance on the ice was great as well.
The League (FX, 9:30): All I can say is thank heavens this episode puts an end to the Rafi storyline.
*And I'm not just saying that because Zinger has Dish Network and so doesn't get FX anymore and had to miss it. . . honest
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