Fringe - 4x07 - Wallflower

You know, it's kind of weird. When I think back on my good memories of the X-Files, I mostly remember the government conspiracies, the alien abductions, the magic cell phones that worked every-fucking-where. When I look back on Fringe in about ten years, I'll probably mostly remember the multiple universes, the Walternates and Fauxlivias, Eddie Finnerty maybe being sorta immortal. But the bread and butter of both these shows were/are the prolific "monster of the week" episodes. These are the episodes that hook the general public in, these are the episodes where the creative teams cut their teeth, where production creates entirely new worlds from scratch, and where the most beloved episodes come from. Now, this isn't really going to be one of those great beloved episodes, but it was pretty damn good. And it occurred to me while watching that I should be annoyed that the bigger, incomprehensible Peter plot is plodding along while we deal with another Not!Vampire, but instead I'm just plain entertained. This is why Fringe will probably age better than it's predecessor.

Fringe - 4x06 - And Those We Left Behind

God damn, what is it about Fringe and time travel that breaks my heart every single fucking time? White Tulip was practically Emmy bait, what with  Robocop  Peter Weller's mournful, stoic performance complimenting John Noble's mournful, batshit crazy one, and all culminating in a perfect, closed, paradox-less time loop. I fucking loves me some paradox-less time loops. And this week, we get Stephen. Motherfucking. Root. as a ...mournful scientist (hmm...) desperately scrambling to create a perfect universe where he can be with his wife forever.

Castle - 4x05 and 4x06 - Quick Thoughts!

I'm still so damn behind on Castle, even though it's one of my favorite shows this season. So I'm going to try and double up on some posts, see if I can't catch up soon.

Up All Night - 1x10 - Week Off

My recording of this week's ep got a little FUBAR'ed so it took me a little longer than usual to get around to watching it (thank you, Hulu!). Luckily, it was a relatively mellow episode, not great, but not bad either. A catastrophic pipe leakage/bursting issue in the floor above the Ava offices shuts down operations for a week giving everyone seven days to stretch their characters in fresh new directions. We get to see Reagan/Christina Applegate indulge her batshit crazy side without ever losing respect for her (like in Cool Neighbors), which I thought was pretty sweet. We got to see Ava show her sweet side again (not coincidentally due to Jason Lee returning). And to top it all off, we got to see Chris dip his toe back in lawyer infested waters, and thrive in his previous element.

2 Broke Girls - 1x10 - And The Very Christmas Thanksgiving

Okay so, after ten mediocre episodes, I think the best thing we can take away from this show is that Beth Behrs should really get more work after this whole...thing is finally over and done with. If Tom Hanks can come out of Bosom Buddies, Behrs should at least be able to get a season or two's work on a more deserving show. This show's potential may fluctuate wildly from week, but the one thing that's consistently enjoyable is her portrayal of Caroline as a fully-rounded, pragmatic, yet consistently optimistic young woman. Ironically it took an episode where all that comes tumbling down in a manic, violent, upper fueled, elf-pixie-filled mental breakdown to really appreciate that.

How I Met Your Mother - 7x11 - The Rebound Girl

Holy balls, yes! Shit is STILL getting real! Said shit is getting real at such a pace that the function of Real Getting plotted versus time is reaching an asymptotic curve! What I'm saying is, we're about thirty paces from officially being Balls To The Wall here. I mean, we are in serious danger of veering into latter day Friends territory here (and I don't think anyone wants to see that happen), but I am just so happy this show has finally decided to get up off it's ass and stop treading water. It's been like four seasons of nothing new happening, and in the span of three episodes everything's changed! Okay, producer dudes, don't break my heart here. Pull this off. Don't punt, don't drop the ball, don't Friends this okay? Make me proud here!

Up All Night - 1x09 - Hirings and Firings

I hate Molly Shannon. This isn't going to be a screed or nerdrage rant about why she's on the show, or how I don't find her schtick particularly amusing, or anything like that. I just felt we needed to get that out of the way first. You know, clear the air, agree on terms of negotiations, all that jazz. It'll also hopefully serve to explain why an episode that was enjoyable in every other respect, really felt like a huge letdown after last week's awesome Jason Lee/Beastie Boys mosh pit outing. In a show like this, where it's best moments are often subdued and naturalistic, a guest star can completely dominate the tone of the scenes they're in. When you've got Jason Lee's affable straight man, you get great chemistry. When you've got Superstar!-as-an-adult, shit gets facepalmy real fast.

New Girl - 1x06 - Thanksgiving

Continuing the trend of deflecting Zooey's annoying "adorableness" by bringing in some extra Crazy, this episode we get the male version of Zooey Deschanel, Justin Long, playing the male version of Jess. Actually that may be mean to Zooey. I imagine even at our most bitter, we still love her a lot more than Justin Long. Sorry dude. If it makes you feel any better, I'm probably the one person on the planet that didn't think you came off as a smug asshole in those Apple commercials. Ironic, huh?

New Girl - 1x05 - Cece Crashes

So, while I still have all the reservations I mentioned about this show in the last post, this episode (and the one after) really went a long way towards allaying my fears. Whether that's soon enough to overcome the Zooey Deschanel backlash we won't know for awhile, but if they can keep on the path they've started to chart this episode, I can see this becoming a pretty great show.

New Girl - 1x04 - Naked

I swear, at some point I'll start writing about unreservedly good shows. It's just so much easier to find something to say about shows that almost have it, but have one fatal flaw or another. Of course, it helps if a show's fatal flaw isn't it's lead character.

I want to like this show, I really do. The writing seems to be there, the production values, the direction, even the actors. I mean Winston is no Daman Wayans Jr, but he's growing on me. The problem is, and I'm certain I'm not alone on this, I just straight up can't believe Zooey Deschanel's character. Will that be a huge problem?

2 Broke Girls - 1x09 - And the Really Petty Cash

Alright, so far, so ...adequate. The show hasn't backslid into worse morass of cheapness and lameness. Facepalms were kept below concussion levels, and I'm even still interested in the story. You've bought yourself another week Girls.

Actually, snarkiness aside, this was actually a pretty decent progression of the Johnny storyline. Still hate this stupid face, but at least it's becoming more clear that he's probably a self-absorbed asshole, and Max's actions and reactions ring pretty damn true. And as much as I appreciate the fact this show resisted the urge to make the Paris Hilton-expy a bitch, I do kind of like the little hints of true-to-life panic and temporary (benign) selfishness Caroline is starting to exhibit.

How I Met Your Mother - 7x10 - Tick, Tick, Tick

Holy shit. Shit just got real, y'all. Or shit briefly got real, before being put on the back burner for about 4-6 eps, before being briefly brought up one or two more times before the finale. I'm hoping not. I like the idea of everything going balls to the walls each episode this season. For the first time in a while it feels like they're not just treading water for a season (I mean obviously they are in terms of the Mother, but in general), and it also doesn't feel like they're going to punt like they did with the whole dispersing tease in early Season 4. Love has been declared, relationships irreparably broken, nachos were eaten from the garbage! And we get an super fun subplot, epic in scope, to balance it all out! Please don't eff this up, guys.

Up All Night - 1x08 - First Night Away

Aww, okay now that was fucking sweet. I mean, not in like a "fuckin sweet brah" kind of way, but in a just...just, you know... awww, motherfucker! Reagan and Chris decide it's finally time for them to spend a night away from little Amy so they can get their swerve on, leaving Ava to babysit little Amy and flirt with Studly Single Dad Jason Lee. And aside from a few painfully awkward moments with the hotel clerk, everyone comes out of this episode looking pretty awesome and like someone you'd like to get to know better. Fuckin Sweet, Brah.

2 Broke Girls - 1x08 - And the Hoarder Culture

Okay this is confusing. I'm about THIS close to completely giving up on this show. Seven episodes in, and the show still hasn't sloughed off it's face-palmy brand of horrible jokes and lazy racism. I stayed with the show because I always kind of assumed the said horribleness would eventually naturally erode away. I thought there could not possibly be sitcom writers in this generation that would allow such ineptitude to stand week after week. Then I found out that Whitmey co-created this show. Yes THAT Whitney. THAT FUCKING WHITNEY. How did I not put that together before? I'm an idiot. Suddenly, it all makes sense. Suddenly, it seems very much likely that everything horrible will become the norm and not the exception. The prospect of this show actually becoming decent has become so much more unlikely, and quite frankly, there are so many more ...adequate things on television. So I was ready to throw in the towel.

And then this episode airs. Now this is not a great episode by any objective means. It's not even a good episode when compared to the whole of television this season. But it is the least offensive this show has gotten, and, were it not for the whole Whitney factor, I would almost assume this show is moving in an upward trajectory. So I'm going to give it another week or two. Whitney has to be busy with her own "show" over on the other network. Maybe better writers will trickle in. Let's pray.

Because AWESOME THAT'S WHY

How I Met Your Mother - 7x09 - Disaster Averted

The gang flashes back to Hurricane Irene! And yes, that is a very apt metaphor for a confusing and disappointing anticlimax! Ted wants to leave the city for Westchester and bring everyone with him, but no one believes the storm will be that bad! Robin keeps talking about weird shit Canadians do outside in hurricanes in various states of undress! Soon enough it's not up to them anymore and, boom, trapped! Marshall wil be without health insurance for a whole two weeks! For some reason, he believes staying near Lily at ALL times until then will protect him from bear attacks! I don't know why I'm yelling everthing! And finally, most importantly, the Ducky Tie is challenged, and the Slap Bet returns!

Now THAT's what I'm talking about! Callback references with meaningful follow-through! Interesting story lines  Guest starts that aren't dead weight! A bit of a fumble towards the end there and followed by a cliffhanger that makes my cliche-hairs stand on end (don't ask where they are), but at least means we're moving things forward! I loved this ep. Well, I liked this ep. More lowered expectations? I don't care! I'm in again!

Up All Night - 1x07 - Parents

Slowly working my way to catching up. Bear with me folk(s).

So Reagan's parents drop by for a surprise visit, pretty much reverting Reagan back all the way to her adolescent state. It's an episode premise we've seen before, but let's face it, it's cliche for a reason: it happens to all of us. Not all of us, however, were used as unwilling subjects by our psychologist mothers so they could write highly praised (if apparently clueless) texts on the 'correct' way to raise children. In a complete coincidence, the specter of grim death is also a recurring theme in this episode.

Castle - 4x04 - Kick the Ballistics

I know this episode is more than a few weeks old, but I'm just catching up, and damn it, I have to start writing about something other than mediocre sitcoms, or I'll just end up burning this blog to the ground and collecting the insurance.

This week our mystery gets a few twists and turns, does a little bob and weave, pulls a couple o'switcheroos. I have no idea why I'm talking like this. Writing three recaps in a row plays tricks with your mind grapes). A run of the mill mob execution turns out to be a murdered co-ed who turns out to have been shot with the gun that our least faovirte serial killer, 3XK, took from Detective Ryan last season, but turns out to have dumped off on a frenemy he made in the joint, hoping he'd use it and get caught, cause, no matter what, 3XK is a fucking dick. All those turns make one dizzy. They also don't leave Detective Ryan feeling too good about the whole thing.

2 Broke Girls - 1x07 - And the Pretty Problem

Meh. I'm not AS disappointed in this one was I was in HIMYM, but that's only because I expected more from HIMYM. All this show has to do is get through one episode without a horribly unfunny racial joke and it'll impress me. This was not that episode.

Because I CAN'T UNSEE

How I Met Your Mother - 7x08 - The Slutty Pumpkin Returns

Well that was disappointing. The almost palpable lack of inspiration (wait, can you palpate a lack of something?) found in last Monday's CBS comedies was probably the primary reason these recaps are over a week late. I'd love to say I was out rock and rolling it up on Halloween (that's what the kids do these days, right? Rock and roll?), but it was just...bad television. I enjoyed Hawaii Five-0's half-assed spooky episode more than these two. No that's not a compliment for Hawaii Five-0.