Chuck - Chuck Versus the American Hero, 3.12

Dear Chuck,

Thanks for being the most amazing show ever.

• "You're like the Picasso of creepiness." - Lester
• Jeff recording in his log Shaw's possible "sexual encounter."
• Awesome living in a bubble -- reference to 30 Rock's Drew?
• I will always love the original Team Bartowski, but this mission of Team Save Chuck's Love Life (as I am naming it) was AWESOME. Casey + Morgan + Awesome is the funnest combo ever. I smiled so much during their "mission." I'm really liking Casey as a civilian, and it was such a good idea to have both Morgan and Awesome know about Chuck, because they're the perfect addend duo to this mission. I hope there are more!
• Adding Ellie to Team SCLL. She's the cutest.
• Wasn't it proven really easy to unlock all the doors of Castle by just pressing a few buttons inside an individual cell? Ha. Sarah. But apparently you can control the lighting system of the Buy More from inside Castle too. So it works out either way.
• LOVE it when BuyMorians inadvertently (but perfectly, story-wise) get caught up in spy business. Delightful! Go Jeffster.
• There is no reason for Shaw to have a car like that. But of course he does. Of course he does.
• OH HEY Romo Lampkin/Badger/Cecil Lively. Thank you for appearing in so many of my favorite shows!
• Wow, Schwartz & co. really channelled M. Night with that twist! Very nice.
• Watching terrific episodes like this, I almost feel guilty about voting for Better Off Ted in E's Save One Show poll.
• Alex Patsavas' awesomeness strikes again with this stupendous song choice over Chuck's "I love you" speech + kiss.
• Sometimes this show is just perfect. And this episode is one of those times.
• Adam Baldwin has never looked better, by the way.
• Oh, NSA. You and your incompetence makes me laugh.
• After watching the promo for next week's ep and Alan Sepinwall tweeting that it's the best of this season, I'm pumped!

Breaking Bad - Caballo Sin Nombre, 3.2

• The Cousins excite me more than I care to admit. My strange infatuation with them can be attributed to, in part, their image so far as the absolute perfect villains in terms of 1) air of badassery, 2) appearance (as badasses), and 3) coldhearted, murderous, merciless, personas. We haven't even seen much of them yet, but I love them already. Did you see how they didn't even flinch as they walked away from the exploding truck? And their metal skull-tipped boots? Perfect. They are obviously capable of some terrible shit, and I'm so excited to see it all go down this season.
• Come to think of it, Tuco was awesome too. Vince Gilligan is great at creating villains.
• Seeing Jesse sad makes me sad. I love Aaron Paul. I hope he gets nominated again this year.
• VG, John Shiban, 10:13pm. The minute I pay respects to TXF.
• LOOK AT THIS. The Cousins in a fucking old persons' home. The juxtaposition makes my brain scream. With delight.
• WALTER WHITE. Holy shit. Tio's bell ringing. And then ringing again and again and again, what a buildup, what a climax. See? So far, all Cousins scenes have been absolute perfection. They haven't even uttered one word yet. They truly define what it is to be badass. I'm in love. Thank you, Vince Gilligan and writers.
• Jesse had to leave his aunt's house because the family that lived there sold it. But I guess BB and crew struck up a new deal with the new owners.
• White, Pinkman, Goodman. White and Pink, both colors not necessarily associated with villains. Good man -- a joke, pretty much. Saul is as slimy as they get.
• Eyeball continuity. I dig it.
• SO GOOD. I can't even stand it. That entire last bit with the Cousins entering Walt's house. Silhouetted in the doorway. Seen behind baby Holly's mobile. Axe swinging between them. Slowly picking up the eyeball. They are perfection, period.
• I'm also digging the Spanish episode titles. Hope that will continue.

The Office, 30 Rock

The Office -- Happy Hour, 6.21

As I watch, still:

• Kevin's pantomime is like a less funny version of Keith's (UK), which was masterful.
• I find Pam shrill and annoying. She looks cute though.
• Okay, Kevin's shrillness is funny though.
• I'm glad Isabelle shows up every once and a while, if only for the Dwight interaction.
• Is Date Mike related to Prison Mike? Hope not.
• More Kelly and Ryan!
• What is this place anyway? It looks like Dave & Busters or an adult Chuck-E-Cheese.
• Why doesn't Pam or Jim just tell Michael to stop? Annoying.
• Andy and Erin are the cutest couple ever. I say that every Office post, I know.

30 Rock -- Floyd, 4.16

• First of all, I am SO excited for this episode. I adore Floyd. And only about 30% of that is my crush on Jason Sudeikis. By far my favorite of the LL exes.
• Oh no, his fiance's name is Kaitlyn (or some variation thereof). Jealous forever.
• What happened to The Pranksmen? They should strike back against the Silver Panthers.
• I love this show's score.
• Liz's date haircut makes her look like Megan Mullally.
• She considers her relationship issues. One of only a few serious moments in the show, if I'm not mistaken.
• So this is not the end of Floyd episodes! He's also getting married. Sigh.

Parks and Recreation - Summer Catalog, 2.20

As I watch!

• Nice cold open! I wonder how much of that Aziz improvised.
• Is that sex offender in the photo Mike Schur?
• "Can you photoshop your life with better decisions, Jerry?" - April
• Pitch meeting reminiscent of The Camel episode. And I dig that picture of Tom. "I bet he's wondering why his cup's so small." - April
• Anndanowitz. I like it.
• "I only had one breakfast." - Ron
• Leslie, unlike Michael Scott, is a good role model. I love how she always sticks up for her beliefs.
• Oh no. April obviously thinks this is a date.
• Tom paired with the Boring Couple was a good idea. I don't know if I'll miss Mark at all when he leaves. "We do look miserable." - Mark. Foreshadow!
• Aww, Andy when he realizes how young she is. This is sad.
• Five bucks says Ron's "usual" is a breakfast plate.
• Yup.
• Apparently Leslie loves breakfast too! Cute relationship.

Community - The Science of Illusion, 1.20

"I don't even deserve this buddhist meteor wand!" - Pierce

Community has such a firm, down-to-earth grip on its characters. This is a testament to the intelligence of the writers and creator. Because it's a comedy, it can use outlandish situations and dialogue to point out, for instance, how much of a buzzkill Britta is. It wouldn't exactly be categorized as meta, I think, particularly because of the more blatant meta-comments Abed typically makes. But the fact that the show is so open about exploring and exploiting the naturally occurring idiosyncrasies of each wacky, offbeat character, is what makes Community so fun to watch on multiple levels.

I loved this episode for its references to buddy cop shows and amphibian-Chang mystery. Abed's perspective, as always, provided the meta, jumping in only to play the much needed black boss stereotype. It was rewarding to watch this episode after finishing Veronica Mars today - the mysteries, albeit much more complex, are admittedly similar sometimes (though VM is truly the most innovative of the mystery programs!). And I appreciated the black boss character Abed affected (The X-Files, Grey's Anatomy, FlashForward, so many more).

Another golden moment was near the end when the group cried together. And the tag: Troy and Abed in the morning!

FlashForward - Revelation Zero, Pts. 1 & 2, 1.11-12

FlashForward is so dumb. I love it.

The primary basis for an FBI investigation on a worldwide supernatural phenomena? A public website where civilians post their experiences. Don't remember parts of your blackout? Just take a drug, you'll remember it all.

Discrepancies include:

• Simon being inducted into the FBI
• Mark being given a second chance, even with therapy
• Is the occurrence of the FlashForwards a factor in the future one sees? The window washer saw himself as a successful speaker, which he only began to pursue solely because he saw himself as such. Mark's primary leads on the case are from his future cork board collage.
• Concerning the last point, as further inquiry: Bryce doesn't commit suicide because he sees a happy future. Yet he doesn't pull the trigger because he sees this fate. This leads me to believe the FlashForwards' future(s; Simon brings up that each is only a possible future, and each person could foresee a separate, individual future) are reliant on the FlashForwards themselves. However...
• ...I may not be thinking this through clearly enough, but I believe this presents a paradox. Maybe I shouldn't think too hard about FlashForward in general. I watch it more as a comedy. It's just another installment in my Thusday comedy night.

I noticed while watching the credits that Paul Rabwin works on FF. Interesting. It's a step down.

The Office - New Leads, 6.20

Another Office reminiscent of the golden, olden days of earlier seasons! Since I've had a busy week and I'm still studying, some brief points:

• A rare Toby talking head! How I've missed Toby and his endearing-turned-creepy love for Pam. Good 'ol seasons three and four.
• "Pam texted back saying we could give them all iPods." Christmas Party much?
• Michael and Dwight talking about their former relationship, another throwback. "Hope grows in the dump."
• I'm absolutely loving the Andy/Erin tags we've been getting recently. Cutest office romance since PB&J. However, the cinematography on their kiss was inconsistent with the documentary we're supposedly witnessing... It used to be what made The Office unique, but now that Modern Family and Parks & Rec use it (among others?) and it isn't part of the story anymore, it seems pretty useless. It's mostly used now as ModFam uses it - only for talking heads and an organic, handheld camera feel. No more interacting with the cameramen, nor any indication they actually exist. I liked it better when they asked the tough questions in asides, or were shut out of private meetings (though they're the reason, I assume, we didn't witness Cecelia's birth firsthand), or meddled in employees' love lives. Oh well.
• We actually got some Kelly/Ryan banter too! Good episode. Good throwbacks. Keep it up, Office!

The Office - St. Patrick's Day, 6.19

The return of Todd Packer and Daryl! Very s1 and s2 feel this episode - the Pack-man and the warehouse guys (when did we see them last?), plus heading to a bar after work (was it Poor Richards? I couldn't tell with all the clovers) for a hyped, very Scranton-esque holiday party. Come to think of it, I can also add "star-crossed lovers" to the list. Andy and Erin are no PB&J, but they're cute. The introduction of Erin's foster brother was very reminiscent of the constant obstacles their prototypes had to face for three seasons or so. I think that's why I'm so patient with Andy and Erin's strange courtship - I waited through three whole seasons, not to mention a few girlfriends and a fiance, for Pam and Jim to get together. I don't mind a foster brother; I've seen much worse. Plus, anything romantic happening in the rain is totally acceptable in my book.

So does The Office need star-crossed lovers to be a good show? Of course not. But there's no denying the draw the show had when Pam and Jim were the most popular and endearing will-they-or-won't-they couple on television. The jokes and humor seemed fresher then, too, because it was an edge no other comedy had. The documentary format and talking heads were an interesting format to capture characters' reactions and POV, which aided every character becoming funny and likable in their own right.

In conclusion, I appreciated this episode as a peek back to funnier, happier times.

Grey's Anatomy - Push, 6.17

Grey's Anatomy is the best guilty pleasure show ever. I dare you to disagree with me.

• The Chief (er, former Chief) calling Owen "ginger"
• Arizona on her wheelies
• Callie and Arizona meddling in everyone's love life. "He's cooking for you. At home. Where he keeps his bed." vs. "I told her he was a candy bar!"
• Bailey flailing and Webber decidedly not flailing. Meredith and Owen vs. Cristina and the Chief.
• Problems finally arise between the golden couple, Callie and Arizona. Hopefully it'll be resolved soon.
• I like Teddy, and I like Teddy and Mark together. All these couples are very adult, grown-up relationships, very different than some three or four seasons ago. Look at Bailey! Meredith!

Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock

Combining the rest of NBC's night because I wasn't that impressed and don't have much to say.

Parks and Recreation - The Possum, 2.18

April Ludgate and Ron F**** Swanson are two of my favorite characters on any show, so I was happy this episode had a lot of them. I like that Leslie can't keep a secret to save her life (in the tag), and that Mark finally had something to do. It makes sense that Andy still has a thing for Ann - he did live in a pit to be near her after all - but I'm ready to retire that crush in exchange for him liking April. It was cute that he brought her coffee and made a list of things he could have possibly done wrong.

30 Rock - Future Husband, 4.14

I admit I kind of thought Liz would call Future Husband and Floyd would pick up. It would be funny, ironic foreshadowing to the episode coming up where Floyd gets married (alas!). I loved Brian William's five second cameo ("Nightly news rules!") and Kenneth's donkey ailment. Jack McBrayer can do really funny things with his face and 30 Rock never fails to exploit that. The Tracy/Jenna subplot fell flat, I think, because I can't remember it at all.

Community - Basic Genealogy, 1.18

Basic Genealogy was not as laugh-out-loud funny as last week's Physical Education, but it offered ample character and relationship development. I thought Katherine McPhee was a surprisingly adept actor, and I liked how her storyline affected Jeff Winger's too-cool-for-school exterior.

Things I liked:

• The Dean's farewells to Senor Chang and his Jewish rabbi brother (in full garb, for whatever reason)
• This week's pairings worked well - Troy and Britta, Jeff and Pierce (with a little Annie), Shirley and Abed. Not a lot of group interaction, which is usually what brings the laughs.
• I personally adore Jeff and Annie together. It was nice to see it taken seriously here, and how their relationship has grown.
• Likewise, I love Troy and Britta. I think their last storyline together was the interpretive dance episode, and I've wanted to see them interact more ever since.
• Pierce and his ex-stepdaughter plot reminded me of when 30 Rock's Tracy Jordan met his fake son and wrote him checks. Jeff/Liz Lemon confront Pierce/Tracy about what they think is exploitation, only to find they already know.
• Loved the Human Being and Little Human Being, and Starburns and his kid.
• Glad Prof. Slater broke up with Jeff. I never liked her since she got in the way of Mer and Der on Grey's.
• Was nice to see Jeff cry on Pierce's shoulder! We've never seen that side of Jeff before, and of course it was hilarious.

Scrubs - Our Driving Lesson, 1.12

This is technically season 9 episode 12, but I'm going to count Med School as season 1. At the beginning of this season (Zombie Scrubs!) I wondered if this show could really be great without JD. And it turned out to be a really funny show in its own right. Unfortunately, this didn't help its abysmal ratings, so adieu, Med School. Gone too soon. I think there is one episode left.

It's a shame, because this show too has a stellar cast. It's easy for Dave Franco to be the oblivious jackass, but this episode showed he has dramatic chops as well. Lead Kerry Bishe is funny and can be dramatic when needed. I really liked (past tense already, depressing) her cute, endearing Lucy. And I will miss Eliza Coupe as Denise, and Michael Mosley as my favorite of the new Med School characters, Drew.

About Our Driving Lesson:

• Puffins is a really funny word.
• A kimchee Korean taco sounds so good right now.
• I really, really like Cole. "I've got a pain in my throat... a T-Pain!"
• I think Michael Mosley really resembles Jason Sudeikis. So good looking.
• Still a sucker for Scrubs' inevitable emotional/occasionally-even-teary last five minutes. I'll miss them.

Modern Family - Truth Be Told, 1.17

This cast is so good. Their comedic timing is perfect, and that's what really made this episode.

Two scenes in particular stood out to me - one was the Dunphy kitchen scene, where Phil's ex-girlfriend Denise (Man, I love Judy Greer. She's guested in probably most of my favorite shows. Wish she would headline something herself!) inconspicuously tried to throw herself at Phil while Claire was in the room. Greer and Ty Burrell are funny people, and together they are genius. Both had to quickly switch between terrified and calm (Phil) and seductive and sweet (Denise) as Claire entered and exited the room. Adding to the funny were the scene's harried cuts and direction; there was never a still moment - letting the audience feel Phil's panic was a smart, funny move. A-plus physical humor and comedic timing!

Speaking of comedic timing, the Dunphy kids aren't all that bad either. At first I didn't think Alex or Luke were that great, but as the show carried on they got chances to show their talent, too. In particular, I loved the scene where we saw Alex and Luke behind the couch Claire and Denise were sitting on. Nice interaction amongst all. Luke runs off and Alex follows him with a smug smile.

My second favorite scene was Mitchell's breakdown when he quits his job. To see him go from elated to utterly terrified was hilarious. To return to this post's theme: What great acting! And Cam's "I'm used to nice things!" was a funny touch. Also, Lily was so cute this episode in her duck hat.

Better Off Ted Tribute

You have no idea how funny this show is.

For a while, it was the funniest show on television that no one watched. Admittedly, it takes a while to warm up to because of its stylized format. Jay Harrington as Ted Crisp talked directly into the camera, and his sexy, competitive boss Veronica was more than a tad bit strange. The first few episodes of the first season left viewers wondering what universe these people lived in, where meat could be grown in labs and geeky, socially awkward scientists like Phil and Lem could exist.

But after you discover the quirks of these characters and get the feel for the weird world that is Veridian Dynamics, the impeccable humor really shines through. The show's fast-paced, witty dialogue coupled with terrific physical humor made for more LPM (laughs per minute) than any other show on the air.

Things to love about Better Off Ted:

• The talented, funny actors. As evidenced in this outtakes clip:

• Veridian Dynamics.

• Portia de Rossi as Veronica.

• Andrea Anders as Linda.

• Phil and his run.

...and more. It's twenty-four episodes of comedic brilliance! Watch it!

House - Private Lives, 6.15

Medical case plot was so-so. Laura Prepon played a blogger with no secrets. But this is House, so everybody lies, etc...

House is one of those shows I don't watch in full screen. I play it in small form and play solitaire in a window next to it. I get very little out of each episode, excepting specials like Broken or season finales, which are always Very Special Episodes in which hallucinations abound. Basically any episode that lets Hugh Laurie be furious/insane/depressed is a quality hourlong in my book.

Although Private Lives was none of the above, there were some interesting (what's a tamer word for "interesting"? "Different"?) character interactions. House with Photoshop is proved to be a winning combination. Wilson and antlers as well. Chase and Thirteen was definitely different. Have they ever had a conversation alone before now? I understand why he sought her advice (she is the only female on the team) and I thought her response to his concerns was valid and relatively helpful. The pair was different, but not a bad thing. Jennifer Morrison is returning to the show (as a regular I'm not sure) so Chase will have her to interact with, finally. What's with medical shows this year marrying two characters at the end of last season and breaking them up early in the next? Grey's Anatomy I can understand because Katherine Heigl had to leave, but House has no excuse. It was a lame way to take that plot. You can unbutton Lisa Edelstein's shirt as much as you want - there's still not enough estrogen on this show.

Chuck - Chuck Versus the Beard, 3.9

My last Chuck post was long, so I'll keep this short. It doesn't mean "Versus the Beard" was a bad episode, in fact, I thought it was one of the best this season.

Morgan Grimes knows. And that's a big deal for the BFF duo, because Morgan fired Chuck from being his best friend just a few hours prior to the reveal. I loved that Morgan was overjoyed that his best friend is a spy, because a less enthusiastic reaction would complicate Chuck's life even more. Also loved Morgan's "Bag 'em and tag 'em, Sarah. Excuse me... Agent Walker." Actually, I'm just going to bullet things I loved about this episode now:

• Morgan shimmying along the walls of Castle trying to be discreet
• The glorious return of Jeffster!
• The Buymoria flag being hoisted up by the entire staff a la the Iwo Jima Memorial
• Agent Shaw just for existing
• Casey's mysterious phone call at the end of the episode from (spoiler!) Robert Patrick! Well, his character, whoever that is. So excited for next week! Knowle Rohrer and Agent Doggett reunited, with a slight role reversal. Awesome.

So are Capt. Awesome and Ellie really going to Africa? It would make sense for budgetary reasons, but I would miss them both a lot!

Webisodes: 30 Rock, Community, The Office

Just wanted to say some quick things about these cute extras. The Community and 30 Rock ones are "mini episodes" sponsored by Comcast, and The Office's are more of their popular webisodes.

- - - - -

"How can I get my Jane Krakowski fix during this three week break?" is definitely something I asked myself regularly. And the three bite-sized clips of Jenna Maroney did satiate me. Thanks, Xfinity Comcast (whatever you are). Kenneth's hard-hitting questions were so quaint and charmingly hilarious - very Kenneth. Kenneth being in touch with his hill-people roots and acting goofy is where the character excels comedically, in my opinion.

"What's your most embarrassing moment? You don't have to say it out loud, you can just think about it."

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Well, if TGS is still on the air -"

"Oh, no, it's a riddle, the answer is... in the mirror."

"Do you like banana cake?"

"No."

"Correct!"

- - - - -

The Office's best webisodes were its recent Subtle Sexuality set, directed by the marvelous Mindy Kaling. The newest ones, featuring Ellie Kemper as Erin under the tutelage of Angela Kinsey/as Martin. Erin is such an endearing character. She's very goofy, not as grounded in reality as previous receptionist Pam, so her storylines are open to strange and funny things, most notably her budding relationship with Andy. (Fun fact: Jon Hamm was Kemper's high school drama teacher. Luckiest. Class. Ever.)

Erin's desire to excel at a career (accounting!) but also maintain friends (Kelly! Ryan!) is the simple, quaint plot. (That's the second time I've used the q-word in this post. I think Kenneth and Erin would really get along.) In the end, she finds she can have it all! Minus Angela as her mentor, but that's an upside.

"What does depreciate mean?" - Kevin

"I have been laying the groundwork for a threesome for some time now." - Ryan

"You look like white Beyonce." - Kelly

- - - - -

I love the cast of Community so much that any extra time I get to spend with them is well worth it. Annie's 90-second study break idea is a quaint (omg!) mini-plot that exemplifies their group dynamic during one of their mundane study sessions (although nothing is ever mundane about their group). It was a cool look at a scene-between-scenes, what happens when we're not watching Thursday nights.

Highlights included Abed's judo move on Troy, the game generation gap, Pierce's truth, Pierce and Troy's shared immaturity (again).

"Troy, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Would you?"

"Sandworms, I don't understand." - Shirley

"Quick, the floor is lava!" - Troy

Adam Scott joins Parks & Rec; NBC comedies renewed

Announced yesterday, Adam Scott will join the cast of Parks and Recreation next season. So what does this mean for my other favorite comedy, Party Down? I'm conflicted because I love both shows so much, but I do think Party Down needs a straight man Henry more than Parks & Rec needs another Paul Schneider-type (if that is how he is going to be cast. Come to think of it, their voices sound almost identical!). The renewal of PD for a third season is still iffy, reliant on the viewership of season two, so it was a smart bet for Scott to join P&R, unfortunately for PD fans. If the cast of PD keeps changing, it might be hard to retain viewers. Jane Lynch's departure was definitely a blow, and when the show loses its primary POV, it's unclear what will happen to the tone of the show.

- - - - -

In other news, 30 Rock, The Office, and Community were all renewed! Parks and Recreation was renewed about a month ago. Good news for Thurs night NBC comedy fans like me!

Grey's Anatomy - Perfect Little Accident, 6.16

Grey's Anatomy is a really cute show. This episode was nothing big or special, but I loved it anyway for its character interactions and developments.

• Meredith telling Jackson he should accept his grandfather! Telling Lexie that Alex is her three years ago! She has grown so much.
• I love the Derek/Mark/Owen bromance. Shooting hoops in the Chief's office? Being generally pathetic and adorable together? So cute.
• Also loving the girls' night out. Baseball at night will always remind me of TXF The Unnatural and fill me with good feelings. Another cute scene. Cristina telling Mer how much she loves Teddy.
• Speaking of which, this episode made me like Teddy. Now that she's becoming a rounded character in her own right, not just an annoying attachment to Owen, she is more interesting and more likable.
• Not sure what to think of the Alex/Lexie doomed-to-fail relationship yet. They made very explicit their reason for being with each other, but we all know how that will end up. Especially with Mark currently unattached.

The Office - The Delivery Pts. 1+2, 6.17 & 6.18

I'll be bullet-ing these episodes as I watch on Hulu!

• Andy was previously Walter Jr.? Do any of the writers watch Breaking Bad? I was hoping he'd say he changed his name to Flynn.
• When was Ed Helms added to the opening credits?
• This harried getting ready for the hospital sequence is the first time I've smiled watching the Office in months!
• Oh, and now a laugh! Dwight throwing weapons out his window as the cops call him by name. Priceless.
• Very funny Part 1! Yay! Is the Office back?
• This episode is really cute. Very sweet. No new mean bosses or crabby Pam (well, some crabby Pam) or unfunny Jim. Reminds me of the old Office.
• ANDY! AND ERIN! Faxing her a date fax! Erin crying! I love them so much! PB&J v. 2.0 is really what the show needs right now, so this is perfect.
• The rekindling of Dwangela. Epic.

Parks and Recreation - Woman of the Year, 1.17

Solid episode with fun Ron/Leslie interaction. I wasn't as impressed as I was by the last episode (Galentines Day), but it had its funny moments. I was happy with the April and Andy developments.

• "I've always wanted a doorman named Ernie. Or Kip. I'm pretty flexible about that." - Andy Dwyer
• No Ann this episode, and only a little Mark. I'm okay with the absence of straight men characters.
• Good scene: Tom pitching club partnership in a darkened conference room, and ignoring Jerry's epileptic tendencies. Jon Gosselin jokes aren't old yet.
• Loved Leslie and Ron re-awarding each other on stage.

Community - Physical Education, 1.17

I had the awesome opportunity of attending one of the nights of PaleyFest 2010 - I went March 3 to the Community panel with my friend Alyssa! It was a blast! Here are things that happened:

• Arrived. Waited for cast and crew to arrive. Wondered if Alison Brie and/or Danny Pudi would be there, and if we could catch a ride back home with them... Read the program. Very upset I wouldn't be in town for Breaking Bad! I could die happy if I ever met Vince Gilligan.
• Thursday's episode is screened, and it's incredible. One of the most ridiculous, and most funny.
• Moderator, cast, and crew arrive! Find out Gillian is pronounced with a hard 'G.' What? Who does that? She's very cute though, and as much as I dislike Britta, Gillian is gorgeous, sweet, and smart. Chevy Chase does one of his famous falls. He and Ken Jeong are buddies. Cute. Donald and Joel looking good. Excited to see Dan Harmon, who is hilarious and extremely smart.
• For the record, Abed may or may not have Asperger's.

So, about the episode. I think bullet points are most appropriate, because although the episode had an emotional center (as usual) it wasn't as prominent. I think this episode was primarily made to be sillier than usual.

• White Abed (Joey) is the best character to be introduced since the Human Being. So ridiculous! Danny Pudi was perfect this episode, from playing the caucasian version of himself, to affecting Don Draper, to inexplicably becoming a vampire-Abed.
• I loved Annie's peeks at Jeff playing pool. Naked.
• Jeff playing pool. Naked. was preposterous, obviously, but made for huge laughs. What universe is Greendale Community College really in?
• Part of why I love Community so much is its ample meta humor. I definitely appreciated Abed's Don Draper seducing Annie (or Trudy?).
• The dialogue seemed extra sharp this episode. "We won't be 'Love Don't Cost A Thing'-ing or 'Can't Buy Me Love'-ing anyone" to "You magnificent son of a bitch."

Modern Family - Fears, 1.16

I really enjoyed this episode. I don't think there's been an episode yet where I haven't teared up at least a little bit. The voiceovers, corny as they may be, are killer...

• I wonder, though, if the last-two-minutes-voiceover is a crutch they couldn't abstain from for a few episodes. I can definitely see it getting old quickly. I'm sure some people already are tired of it (I'm not, I'm a sucker for comedies with an overly sappy emotional side. See: Scrubs).
• The opening sequence was wonderful, with Manny of course being very mature and telling the camera (oh, MF documentary format. You can be so problematic.) that his greatest fear is dying alone. So adorable.
• As cute as Manny was, I think my favorite storylines centered around the Dunphy family. The boys were too cute, and I really liked Alex this episode. Claire dancing was adorable too.
• The giant panda in the room was also hilarious. Loved seeing Mitchell and Cam freaking out in different ways about Lily's first word.

Chuck - Chuck Versus the Fake Name, 3.8

I'm so glad Chuck exists. It's simply the perfect forty-two minute package of impeccable comedy, deeply emotional drama, hardcore action sequences, torrid romance. There's really nothing more to ask for.

Before I start, I hope you'll forgive the abundance of parentheses. I think about many things at once when I watch Chuck, and it's hard to write that way so I try my best!

On the spectrum of lying (work with me here), Chuck proved himself one of the best, right up there with Sarah. He is becoming a terrific spy (more on the romantic implications of this transformation in a bit) by his own geeky merit. His Rafe Gruber impersonation was fantastic, much better than anyone on Team Bartowski imagined. (Chuck's Rafe affectation reminded me of Adrian Monk's similar mobster undercover op. Both unexpectedly did great alias work. Monk was so good at it because... he has OCD? Well okay).

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Captain Awesome, who can't even tell his wife he likes Chuck's chicken (Ellie's insistent repetition of "Chuck's chicken" was hilarious). The burden is becoming too much for him, so it will be interesting to see if he accidentally divulges anything to Ellie or Morgan in the future. Chuck, on the other hand, is disappointed when Devon tells him he can't take any more lies. Thus begins the realization of the life a spy leads...

Which brings us (rather sloppily) to the relationship aspect of this episode. As Chuck becomes more and more a spy, Sarah realizes her penchant for sweet, nerdy Chuck, who may all but disappear if he continues down the path he's taking. Brandon Routh as Shaw is too noble, too much an all-American hero, and his affection for her makes Sarah see even more clearly the feelings she has for Chuck. Unfortunately, there's Hannah, who is certainly not a spy (however, this is Chuck...) and has genuine feelings for him, too. In a funny Buy More moment, Big Mike, Lester, and Jeff comment on Chuck's past girlfriends and how his eyes "shine brightly" only when he is with Sarah (...err, it's the onions!).

I loathe the dissension going on amongst fans (girls, likely) about this new love quadrangle. As a device, it's been used (see: Lou, Jill, Cole). However, this particular geometric shape isn't a shape for the sake of being a shape, it's being used intelligently to change Chuck and Sarah, for better or worse. And when the Hannah and Shaw relationships inevitably end, Chuck and Sarah will be in a different place - and that is why the quadrangle exists. Their relationship was never stagnant, but admittedly there was a point last season where it was evident that facet of their relationship had been studied before. With both changed by their new spy-ship, and/or new relationship, Chuck and Sarah can look at their relationship with new eyes. That will keep them interesting. UST can be frustrating to viewers, but for the sake of story and Chuck/Sarah-actualization, please! Let the writers do work. They know what they're doing.

I'm glad I got that rant down. So, some more stuff:

• Casey is so badass. So much love for the character, and I love Adam Baldwin.
• As I watched the scene where Chuck breaks up with Hannah, I realized the show wouldn't work nearly as well or be nearly as successful if Zachary Levi weren't such a tremendous comedic AND dramatic actor. He's wonderful.
• Great song choice as usual, Living A Lie by Daniel Zott.
• I love love love lying as this season's theme. Love.
• And of course, at the end of the episode, to parallel Hannah's toast, Chuck and Sarah are once again not "lining up." The timing is wrong, again.
• Oh, and Shaw telling Sarah he likes the last name basis? Mulder and Scully reference anyone?

Hulu's Best In Show 2010

Hulu, in partnership with Entertainment Weekly, is hosting a "Best In Show" bracket tournament to determine the best show on currently on television. The two wings of the bracket are broken into smaller categories such as "Workplace Comedy" and "Noted Newcomer." As soon as you vote, you are shown the results.

Well. I knew I had to write about this because of course I'm going to be voting every Monday, and of course I'll be upset about the inevitable shoo-in victors.

There are some tough match-ups - 30 Rock vs. Parks and Recreation, for instance. Naturally I voted for Parks & Rec, and naturally, I added to the mere 22% of the vote it got. I was also in the minority when I voted for Dollhouse over Chuck (31% vs. 69%). Concerning Community vs. Glee, I chose Community (alliteration. Also, I feel like I'm writing about Supreme Court cases, or a lot of Chuck episode titles) which is currently in the lead with 57% of the vote. Some hard decisions, and some not so hard:

1. The Office vs. Better Off Ted

When I saw this pair I knew I had to write and vent about it. Of course The Office will be victorious; it averages ten times the number of viewers that Better Off Ted ever did. It has millions of fans, tie-in merchandise, A- and B-list actors, and some five seasons under its belt. BOT has none of this, but it is the better, funnier show. Yadda yadda, woe is me, shouldn't have been canceled, etc...

2. Fringe vs. V

Surprisingly, Fringe boasts only 63% of the vote. V has only had four episodes!

3. LOST vs. FlashForward

The victor is obvious, so I voted for FF because I felt sorry for it.

4. The Deep End vs. Caprica

TDE has 45%, a good chunk of the vote. In related news, it's also canceled. Though I haven't been watching Caprica, it had a stunning pilot. I watched it after I saw TDE's droll, utterly boring one. Should be an easy win for Caprica, but it isn't showing so far. Neither has had time to build a fanbase (did BSG fans flock, no questions asked, to Caprica? It has a drastically different feel, from what I've seen).

My prediction for final "Best In Show":

I'm pretty confident the final match-up will be The Office vs. LOST (or possibly an upset in the penultimate match by House), with The Office victorious. Zzzzz...