2 Broke Girls - 1x16 - And the Broken Hearts

So, once again, I'm choosing to only focus on the good points of this show because it's really, truly depressing to just keep writing "the jokes suck" for 1,500 words. But luckily, if you ignore the first 15 minutes in the diner, there's a lot to enjoy here.

Earl has a heart attack. Max basically freaks out and goes into hyper-protective mama-bear mode. Or daughter-bear mode? Or Morgan-Freeman's-Step-Granddaughter-Bear mode, considering all the super icky fake flirting that's happened in the past. Ew, she also claimed he was Morgan Freeman in order to get him preferential treatment at the hospital. I don't want to follow this analogy anymore, it makes me feel dirty in my inside.

2 Broke Girls - 1x15 - And the Blind Spot

I've decided that if I'm going to stick with this show, I'm going to choose to just focus on the good parts and not obsess on the many, many, many faults. Even I've run out of long winded ways to say "these jokes SUCK". So, grading on such a steep, steep curve this episode wasn't actually that bad.

It wisely chooses to lean on what this show actually does really well (and probably the only reason I'm still sticking with it); the genuinely touching thread of watching Max and Caroline learn to trust and rely on each other implicitly. (I swear with just a hint of any kind sexual tension between the leads, and a gallon of guts, this show could be a really touching lesbian rom-com.) Of course it does this by continuing the new year's perplexing arc of showing Caroline act like the spoiled bitch she spent the first 10 episodes proving she's not, but at least it's somewhat entertaining.

How I Met Your Mother - 7x16 - The Drunk Train

...wait, what? What the hell is going on here? No, really. I can't tell anymore. Are we bravely forging forward to daring new story lines, or cynically sliding backwards into tired tropes? After the Rebound Girl/Symphony backsies, I can't really work up the effort to try and figure it out. So, I guess I'm just along for the ride from now on. No longer getting my hopes up, but still utterly, helplessly confused. I knew if I did this long enough, my sex life and my TV viewing would start to intermingle...

That doesn't mean I can't appreciate the intermittent courage that seeps through. If anything it's obvious that, for some reason, TPTB are have decided this is the year to throw crazy shit at the wall and see what sticks. Perhaps not coincidentally, it seems this is also The Season of Robin, for better and worse (that is to say, better for us, worse for her). Almost every major emotional high and low point (mostly low) is her, and this ep is no exception.

How I Met Your Mother - 7x15 - The Burning Beekeeper

Another filler episode whose only redeeming characteristic is some awesome, but brief Martin Short-istry and a great visual gag, but is otherwise pretty unimpressive. You would think the show's long-standing tradition of an unreliable narrator would make it easy for them to try their hand at Rashoman-as-sitcom, but even if Coupling hadn't already done it far better, the entire excercise falls surprisingly flat. None of the threads they dangle are particularly intriguing, the payoffs to them are fairly boring, their intersections are plotted awkwardly, and most of the drama in between isn't the least bit engaging.

New Girl - 1x11 - Jess and Julia

Someone finally calls Jess out on her hyper annoying twee bullshit. And it's none other than Lizzy's new character, Julia. Which is why it's kind of a shame the premise of this episode isn't nearly as satisfying as it would've been a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it happens now, about three episodes after said hyper annoying bullshit got toned way the fuck down, so it just comes off like petty cattiness on Julia's part. Despite that though, we actually get another pretty great episode. Caplan's great as always, Jess is not only tolerable, but sympathetic, and even socially saavy to a degree we haven't seen before. Winston, honest-to-god-this-time, gets something to do. And of course, Schmidt douches it up hilariously, once again.

New Girl - 1x10 - The Story of the 50

Lizzy Caplan (!!!!) joins us on what's hopefully the beginning of a long, long guest stint. And she couldn't have picked a better episode to hop on, because this week, we get a little bit of everything that makes this show work, and nothing of what's made it so frustrating in the past.

We get a hilariously douchey, but ultimately loveable Schmidt (and his d-bag Schmiddy friends). We get a neurotic, curmuddgeonly, screamy Nick. We even get an legitimately enjoyable Jess! A Jess who's quirky and sweet, but doesn't make you wonder why they don't make her wear a helmet when she leaves the house. We get a Winston that's...there. And we get a potential game changer I legitimately didn't see coming.