As you may have noticed, I worked late much of last week and didn't really get a chance to watch TV. Horrifyingly enough. Thus, this weekend has been largely devoted to getting caught up. It was intense. Here's a very quick rundown of what I thought of everything from last week...
Watched Over the Weekend:
Chuck: Though I was happy that they moved the plot along and broke out of the typical formula, I was a bit disappointed to lose Bryce as the mysterious dead potential villain. Now that we know he's definitely a nice guy, though, I'm even more interested to see why he stole the Intersect!
How I Met Your Mother: Well...I'm glad Lily and Marshall aren't getting divorced. I don't have that much more to say about this episode. "Dowisetrepla" had a pretty funny payoff, and there were a few great lines...but none that will go down in history, I'd say.
Samantha Who?: Aaaand, that's it. I've given it a chance, and I just don't happen to find it as funny as the rest of America does. Sorry!
Reaper: Okay, what happened with Sam's dad being mysterious and stealing a page out of the contract? We haven't even seen his parents since! That said, I did enjoy the episode. I think my brain has just settled into "enjoy the mindless fun" mode with this show, rather than trying to make it more than it is. Which is definitely what needed to happen for me to keep watching.
House: A House-ku:
Chase and Cameron
Need to be part of the show
Not squeezed into plots
Boston Legal: I'm not sure why William Shatner farting and then saying, "Denny Crane" is so hilarious, but it totally, totally is. Does anyone else feel like Alan's closing statements at trials are getting a little out of control? I realize that these long speeches have proven Emmy results, but I'm starting to find myself checking email during them. Just sayin'.
Life: Is anyone else out there watching this show? Because I'm totally addicted at this point.
Ugly Betty: Amanda is one of the most underrated characters on television. Period.
30 Rock: As much as I hated Ross on Friends, I loved Greenzo on 30 Rock. Just like the episode on integrated advertising, last week's 30 Rock managed to take an NBC directive and obey it by mocking it openly. Also, Al Gore is my hero. "A whale is in trouble!"
The Office: I'm just going to breathe a big sigh of relief here that The Office is back to its regular half-hour episodes. PHEW.
Scrubs: I empathize with the Janitor--I can't get my coworkers to recycle properly, either. Maybe I should make myself a sash with a bunch of environmental buttons. Also, the sight of Turk's head painted like a basketball was way, way funnier than it should have been. So funny!
Desperate Housewives: Quality stuff. Read my complete thoughts here.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight:
How I Met Your Mother: When Ted thinks he has met a wonderful woman, the gang points out a deal-breaking flaw. CBS, 8 PM.
Chuck: Chuck meets a pretty woman (Rachel Bilson) who is interested in the real him; he and Sarah double-date with Ellie and Captain Awesome; a poison specialist tries to obtain codes to nuclear facilities. NBC, 8 PM.
Heroes: The calendar turns back four months, and Nathan must pay a terrible price for his heroic deeds; D.L. sacrifices for Nikki and Micah; Maya manifests her dark powers for the first time. NBC, 9 PM.
The Bachelor: Bachelorettes return to confront one another and Brad one last time; reluctant Brad must answer questions from heartbroken Hillary; Sarah and Lindsay explain why they could not tell the difference between Brad and Chad; a preview of the final episode. ABC, 10 PM.
Here's hoping I can actually stay caught up this week!
Monday, November 12, 2007
On the Glowy Box: Catching Up is Hard to Do
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
On the Glowy Box: John Cho!
What is John Cho NOT in these days? Okay, lots of things, but I still feel like betwen Ugly Betty, Harold and Kumar stuff, and now HIMYM, the dude's around a lot lately. Not that I'm complaining...he's totally hilarious, even if he doesn't seem to have too much variety.
Watched Last Night:
How I Met Your Mother: I kind of don't understand (or, more properly, sympathize with) Lily's credit card debt. I mean, why would you spend money that you don't have, and have no hope of earning, on stuff you don't need? I know, I know, it's called a shopping addiction for a reason, but damn! Aaanyway, it's pretty much a crime that Neil Patrick Harris and John Cho didn't have any scenes together. A crime! And why was that law firm working so hard to recruit Marshall, if he only got the interview as a favor? He clearly didn't want to work there, and doesn't really come across as a genius or an incredibly hard worker, "lawyering" skills aside. Moving on, I loooved the Ted Mosby: Porn Star/Lance Hardwood: Architect subplot. It totally made this episode for me, for reasons of hilarity I shouldn't have to explain. Not the A+ material of last week's episode, though, sadly.
Chuck: Okay, I'm still really enjoying Chuck, but we need to give the Chuck/Morgan duo a rest for a while. Mostly because Morgan isn't very funny, or charismatic, or contributing much at all to the show, really. He could be, but he isn't. Perhaps it's a casting issue, though the writing isn't really doing him any favors, either. Also, I wish we could move past the "Chuck mistrusts his handlers, then makes a huge mistake trusting someone else" plotlines. I liked it a lot when Chuck went rogue in last week's Chinatown episode, but that's partly because he wasn't just acting like a gullible dope--he was actually kind of right! Or at least, not so very, very wrong. I mean, that genius guy last night was pretty clearly crazy. I like the show a lot as it is, but I think it could be even better if it explored some new themes besides "Chuck is (sometimes rightfully) paranoid," and "Chuck is disappointing his family and friends." Which are both good, valid themes, but very overused at this point. (Side note, props for the Rick Hoffman casting as crazy guy's handler! I hope he'll be back!)
Samantha Who?: So...am I the only person in America who isn't head over heels for this show? I just don't think it's that funny! And I kind of dislike the main character. And also most of the other characters. And also it's not that funny. SW-lovers: What am I missing? What line cracked you up last night that went over my head? What character has you looking forward to next week? Have NBC's Thursday night and HIMYM (plus the dearly departed Arrested Development) ruined conventional sitcoms forever for me?
The Bachelor: Read my recap of last night's episode here. It was bananas. Though not really in a good way.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight:
(Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings)
House: While treating a patient they think is a hypochondriac, Foreman and the six fellows seem to learn more about themselves than about the patient; Cameron and Chase gamble on which candidate House will cut next. Fox, 9 PM.
Reaper: When Sam goes to the DMV to return the escaped soul, he discovers the demons take Halloween off; the devil, depressed by Halloween, gives Sam an extra-hard assignment to make himself feel better. The CW, 9 PM.
Boston Legal: A woman (Mare Winningham) asks Alan's advice on how to kill the man who murdered her daughter; Katie and Jerry try to overturn Megan's Law; Lorraine tries to help Alan overcome the deep-rooted childhood fears causing him to speak gibberish around her. ABC, 10 PM.
Tuesdays are so easy!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
On the Glowy Box: No baseball? Really?
How I Met Your Mother was awe-wait for it-some last night. Also, Viva Laughlin has, incredibly predictably, been cancelled. I look forward to erasing its latest episode off my DVR.
Watched Last Night:
How I Met Your Mother: Aaaand we're finally back to second season quality. LEGENDARY, you guys. The hot/crazy graph? With the Vicky Mendoza Line?! (I'm not a sports person, but I actually got that baseball reference. Incidentally, the Mendoza Line is also a pretty good band.) Robin, finally, has gone from being vaguely irritating back to being funny. Phew. I love the creative use of flashback storytelling ("sandwiches," "Blah Blah"), and it was great to see how everyone met everyone else. Although somehow, I was expecting more out of the Barney story. I don't know what, or why, but it was a little too predictable that he'd take them under his wing at a bar. The bit where Marshall impressed Barney by hooking up with Lily was a nice touch, though.
Samantha Who?: Well...I didn't really like last night's episode as much as the pilot. Mostly in that it wasn't very funny. Seriously, I don't think I laughed out loud (or on the inside, even) for the entire half hour. I liked the plot, I found it perfectly engaging, but it just wasn't funny to me. Ah, well. I'll keep watching to see if it regains its sea legs. Partly because they've cast one of my favorite "Hey! It's That Guy!" actors as Samantha's boss. I fell in love with Rick Hoffman's acting six years ago, when he was on Philly (interestingly enough, that's also when I fell in love with James Denton's...acting, pre-Desperate Housewives). Rick Hoffman is awesome, at any rate. He totally deserves his own quirky misanthrope show!
The Bachelor: Hillary, you guys. Wow. Read my full recap here.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight:
(Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings)
Planet in Peril: This is possibly one to DVR and watch over the weekend when you have a chance, since it's two hours long, but I'm actually really excited CNN is putting so much into it, and would encourage everyone to check it out. Especially if you enjoyed Planet Earth or An Inconvenient Truth. Or if you live on this planet. Although Jeff Corwin kind of pales in comparison to Steve Irwin, you can't go wrong with Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta, right? And seriously, it sounds really interesting. Tonight - Black market animal trade; conservation group Wildlife Alliance raids illegal animal trading; Madagascar's deforestation; endangered species in Cambodia; pollution in China. CNN, 9 PM.
House: It's back! House and the remaining fellowship candidates must determine why a 20-year-old cosmetician has had a massive seizure and is now hallucinating; Foreman's reputation precedes him as he interviews for a new job; House must narrow the candidates to six. Fox, 9 PM.
Reaper: Sam receives a copy of the contract his parents signed, but it is in Latin; the trio discovers that the latest escaped soul is the former head of a chemical company that dumped toxic waste. The CW, 9 PM.
Boston Legal: A woman (Mare Winningham) asks Alan's advice on how to kill the man who murdered her daughter; Katie and Jerry try to overturn Megan's Law; Lorraine tries to help Alan overcome his deep-rooted childhood fears causing him to speak gibberish around her. ABC, 10 PM.
Planet in Peril. Seriously. Check it out. We can all report back next week when we've actually finished watching it, and discuss how screwed we are.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
On the Glowy Box: Better late than never!
This will be my last post until Sunday night, 'cause I'm heading outta town for a few days. In the meantime, there are only a few days left in the Veronica Mars DVD contest, so get those entries in!
Watched Last Night:
Pushing Daisies: Happily, there was no discernable quality drop-off from last week. Pushing Daisies is clearly strong enough to stand up to the lack of Barry Sonnenfeld and an absurdly huge budget. Yay! I especially loved the "Kiss a Beaver" t-shirt joke, in that it was so unexpected. This show does such a great job at being incredibly precious to the point where anything perverse is so shockingly out of place that it has twelve times the impact it would on any other show. Similarly, the preciousness also provides a great contrast for the extreme morbidity. Love!
Samantha Who?: From Monday night. Not too shabby, surprisingly enough. I think I liked it even better the second time around. It's no 30 Rock, but it's a new sitcom that's better than just watchable, which is a rare commodity this season. I wish they'd figure out what they want to do with the mother's character, though. Is she small-town and wholesome? A self-centered diva? Caring? Selfish? There was a lot of back-and-forth there, I felt.
America's Next Top Model: God help me, I kind of love this show. I mean, figure skating poses? Gargoyles? Trampolines?! Read my full recap here.
Will Watch or DVR Tonight:
(Descriptions from Zap2it.com's TV listings)
Ugly Betty: Betty cheats in her writing class and submits another woman's story, which was intended for Mode; amnesia makes Alexis forget how to act like a woman; a top advertiser issues an ultimatum to Daniel; Amanda uncovers a secret from Wilhelmina's past. ABC, 9 PM.
30 Rock: Jack learns he must give up his secret collection of cookie jars; Tracy's wife (Sherri Shepherd) announces that she will stay with him at all times to make sure he behaves. NBC, 8:30 PM.
Grey's Anatomy: The chief's wife rushes their niece to Seattle Grace; Izzie gets an unexpected reaction when she reveals her feelings about George to a mutual friend; Derek shows Cristina how to be a better teaching resident; Norman misdiagnoses Meredith's patient. ABC, 9 PM.
The Office: Michael tries to combat his growing debt by asking employees for loans; Jim and Pam spend a night at Dwight's family farm. NBC, 9 PM.
Viva Laughlin: A freewheeling businessman tries to open a casino in Laughlin, Nev., despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles like the murder of his former business partner and a lack of financing. CBS, 10 PM.
While "Cop Rock meets Las Vegas" may not be a winning concept for many of you, it's right up my alley. Even if you don't factor in Hugh Jackman, the sexiest man on the planet. That said, it's pretty terrible. That said, I'm totally watching anyway.
