Comedy Night Done Good.

NBC comedies (sans lame two) were ON FIRE last Thursday. I couldn't choose a best or a favorite, which is saying something. I even loved The Office!

ETA: What really got me, I think, is how good-hearted all four sitcoms are. They're light fun with big heart. I do like my comedy black (Nighty Night, jam, etc.), but it's impossible not to fall in love with these really quality, feel-good shows.

The Office - Threat Level Midnight, 7.17

Oh, Office. Harkening back to the halcyon days wherein Beesley was not so fancy or new, when Ryan started the fire (his cheesy pita, and reputation, up in flames) and went to business school, when Jim searched the state for Herr's Salt and Vinegar potato chips, all the while thinking instead of Mixed Berry yogurt and the artist who favored it.

I could reminisce for days.

This show is good. One of the better comedies on television. It's written well and has a terrific cast of talented actors. But it's past its prime and should end while it's still got its dignity. Its UK predecessor understood that it was a small show. It's about an office. Tim was complacent about his job and his life, and then he wasn't; and there was the arc of the series: he flirts with Dawn, runs into some roadblocks, gives up, settles, and then goes for it one last time. Dawn returning to the office party that night was the greatest payoff one could hope for. And there it ended. David Brent was not going to get more self-aware. The two relatable characters on the show found closure and the audience was left with a superb two-series show.

It didn't end because there weren't anymore jokes left to tell (unless Gervais had said anything to the contrary, of which I'm not aware). Is that what the American version is waiting for? There will always be jokes where there are good writers. But these characters are tired, and more pressingly, so is Dunder Mifflin itself. We've spent seven years with these people in this building and to me, it feels empty and hopeless. Tim and Dawn got out. Jim and Pam have settled (they're not even likable anymore, most of the time). I prefer Michael Scott to David Brent because there are more layers, but even those are worn through...

There will always be new viewers, and that's the lifeblood of The Office. They're casting a ton of new roles, too, so there's that. Keeping it fresh in Scranton. Though isn't that the oxymoron?

- - - - -

It's Always Sunny did Lethal Weapon and that was gold. I've been watching Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and you cannot beat that kind of spot-on parody. Excellent. Threat Level Midnight (not even addressing the issue of these people agreeing to be in it, having the time and resources, etc.) isn't a great parody, and when it's shot and cut so fancily, it's not believable as a Michael Scott side project either. Lazy Scranton, and then this?

All in all, this season is about saying goodbye to Carrell and Scott, and I'm fine with an episode like this to look back and relieve glory days.

Community - Mixology Certification, 2.10 (& The Office)

Community is fantastic. Mixology Certification is tonally at odds with the rest of the series, I'll admit, but that doesn't mean it's weaker; it's just different. Remember, this is the show with episodes like the action-packed Modern Warfare as well as bottle episode Cooperative Calligraphy. It's a young show, and its willingness to experiment shouldn't be held against it. In fact, I think its unpredictability in style and plot, grounded in its strong and familiar cast, makes it all the more compelling.

Thursday's episode wasn't very funny. And I say that in the best possible way. Because at the expense of humor, we got to look at these characters in a very different light. We saw them in a bar, where Jeff and Britta are exposed as children and Shirley as imperfect with a shameful past, and we see Troy absorb all of this. Troy's the stupid, funny jock but as he turns 21 he grows up. He becomes a man, according to Jeff. It's strange to see Troy as the moral center, the most down to earth member of the crew; but tonight he is. This might have been the obligatory character development installment of the season, but I think it turned out to be a lot more than that. It exposed all the characters, some in more obvious ways than others, but all still poignant: Pierce is helpless, Shirley regrets her alcoholic past, Annie is unsure of the path she's choosing (played BRILLIANTLY by Alison Brie, as usual), Jeff and Britta are argumentative and immature. And Troy sees all of this, and for once we see an episode through him, and it's surprisingly sincere.

Mixology Certification is bleak, and I love it for risking that. If I've learned anything from writing this blog, it's that I love shows that are a hybrid of comedy, drama, and heart. (Sprinkle a few aliens or alternate dimensions or superhero ASBO shitheads in there, and you have my undying love.) There are sketch comedies like Bruiser that are hilarious but don't have an emotional draw. And that's not a fault, that's just the way the show is. It's still ace. But if I'm not emotionally invested in some way, it's not an all-time favorite... or at least, that's the hypothesis right now. We'll see! This blog is an experiment!

- - - - -

"Imagine a country... where forks are irrelevant." All right, Office, you can make me laugh occasionally (and I am always surprised when you do), but you can't make me love you again. The spark is gone. I used to be emotionally invested in Pam and Jim and amused by Michael (wow, those were the days) but now I simply don't care about anyone. Are the characters less real now that we know so much about Oscar's holier-than-thou attitude (remember when he was just the gay Mexican one? With the bitchy art critic boyfriend Gil?), and we have been fully exposed to the deviousness of Angela. Shouldn't fleshed-out characters deepen an audience's relationship with a show? In a sitcom like The Office, plot propels but characters compel. And that's the most important thing. That's what keeps viewers watching and wanting more. Pam and Jim were TV's most popular "will they or won't they" because they were endearing and realistic.

Thursday's episode China is funny, but I found that while watching, I was bored and simply uninterested in what was going to happen next. Maybe I've just lost interest.

Unfortunately I was only half paying attention by the end and can't write an informed piece about Dwight being "not motivated by compassion" which seems like something I'd normally like to explore. Oh well.

This emotion in comedy thing... I'd like to write about the Extras special sometime. I'd say the same about the British Office, but I'd just be reiterating all the positives I've written about the US Office. (I.E. investment in Jim and Pam = good. Relatable humor in the mundane = good. Though it would differ in the Gareth/Dwight and Brent/Scott aspects because both versions of the characters are excellent for different reasons.)

And one of these days I will write about Catterick. One day.

2010 Primetime Emmy Predictions

My scorecard. 1 & 2 as most likely and second most likely to win; asterisk denotes who I think deserves it!

Drama Series

* Breaking Bad

Dexter

2. The Good Wife

Lost

1. Mad Men

True Blood

The Good Wife is a strong network contender, but I don't think it can stand up to AMC's crown jewel; but as always, I'm rooting for BB.

Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm

2. Glee

* 1. Modern Family

Nurse Jackie

The Office

30 Rock

Glee and Modern Family are critic and Emmy voter favorites, but MF is more consistent; however, this is really Glee's time to snag a Best because I predict a sophomore slump (and maybe worse) for the uneven show.

Actor in a Drama

2. Bryan Cranston

Michael C. Hall

Kyle Chandler

* 1. Hugh Laurie

Matthew Fox

Jon Hamm

Hamm can wait his turn, he'll be in this race for a while; Cranston only if voters get lazy, though he was brilliant this season; Laurie deserves it for his showcase in the season opener, Broken -- six seasons of House and still no Emmy.

Actress in a Drama

Kyra Sedgwick

Glenn Close

Connie Britton

Julianna Margulies

Mariska Hargitay

January Jones

I honestly can't say -- I don't watch any of these shows except Mad Men!

Actor in a Comedy

2. Jim Parsons

Larry David

Matthew Morrison

* 1. Tony Shalhoub

Steve Carrell

Alec Baldwin

Shalhoub will win for Monk's final season; Parsons might upset -- he and the BBT have surged in popularity this past year; Morrison shouldn't have been nominated, frankly; Baldwin has won once too many; Carrell will win next year for his final season.

Actress in a Comedy

Lea Michele

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

2. Edie Falco

* Amy Poehler

Tina Fey

1. Toni Collette

Collette's role lets her show incredible range, putting her at an easy advantage over actresses like (my favorite) Amy Poehler; Falco is already known to be a terrific actress in any genre, so I wouldn't be surprised at a win for her, either.

Thursday Shows!

This post might take me a while to get through because I just got my Freaks and Geeks box set in the mail, and it has SO MANY wonderful special features. I'm working my way through all episodes twice - with and without commentary. It takes time. But it's summer!

Fringe - Brown Betty, 2.20

• From the beginning I could tell this was trying to be too many things - noir with some high-tech accents (cell phones, Internet), drug-induced fantasy sequence with musical elements... and to be honest, it was kind of a mess. Hardly a musical, hardly a noir film. Just messy. I don't know whether to blame the direction (needed to be more whimsical for the musical aspect to be believable, and/or needed more over-the-top technical noir accents [gaussian blur, wordy dialogue]) or the writing (coherent/necessary plot? who cares? it's a MUSICAL) or both. I will say this: it's obviously a filler episode, and I did prefer it to a COTW. My hopes were just too high.

Community - The Art of Discourse, 1.22

• I might just quote this episode to death, because I've talked at length before at how genius and perfect and smart this show is, it'd feel unnecessary to repeat it all here.
• "Have you seen a Chinese kid?"
• "And if all we need is an escape goat... I think we should just let this one go." - Troy
• Callbacks: Pierce thinking Troy and Shirley are related, Britta's bag-le, "Just pretend like you're asleep. Just pretend like you're sleepin'.",
• Jeff and Britta as partners in crime are PERFECT. I like them so much better platonically than romantically, but I get the feeling this episode was kind of tailored to growing some chemistry between them (growing chemistry? sorry.) in preparation for the last few episodes. Saw some promos, did some math.
• "Ridiculous situation descending into heavy-handed drama for the illusion of story... check." - Abed
• Handling the Pierce/Shirley situation maturely (for Community) was, again, such a smart move. Jokes take this show far, but the heart - because we care about these characters! - is what makes it really great.
• "Why are Jeff and Britta making fun of those handicapped kids?" - Pierce
• "Where Are They Now" sequence during the food fight. Perfection.
• Porn tag at the end ft. Leonard? Also perfection. This show is so. Good.

30 Rock - Argus, 4.19

• Just want to mention that during my flight to LA, American Airlines showed a 2-hour NBC Universal program that featured an episode of Parks & Rec (Kaboom) and 30 Rock (Klaus and Greta) along with tons of other clips from their various networks. Anyway, I now know everything I never needed to know about NBC Universal. Ask me anything.
• Oh, and one more thing: I watched Corporate Crush (from season 1) right before I left, and the contrast between that and Klaus and Greta is embarrassing. This season is - dare I say it about a show that has seen so many good days? - quite unfunny. Let down.
• Oh yeah, also, when I was on the plane, I realized we had heard Verna's (Jenna's mom) name before this season - in the hilarious scene featuring Rachel Dratch (RIP Golden Age)! I cannot tell you how much I dig continuity. Because it's a lot.
• Mmmm Will Forte. Love him.
• Hello continuity, I just got through talking about you! Dotcom being in love with Grizz's girlfriend is addressed here, and is now a plot point that parallel's Liz's Floyd dilemma. Nice!
• And the smash top-of-the-charts hit Muffin Top makes a return. Comedies are really dropping these callbacks tonight.
• Okay, making a list now: Dotcom in love with Grizz's Feyonce, Muffin Top, Liz's face being compared to a badger, Pete's kids' big heads

(Pausing now to watch Doctor Who's "Tooth and Nail," and it is ridiculously well directed. And written, and acted. Plus, the special effects are streets ahead [see what I did there] of the last episode. Wonder why.)

The Office - Body Language, 6.23

• Wow, Pam is annoying.
• I love this Sabre representative. Give him more lines, he's funny

Parks and Recreation - 94 Meetings, 2.21

• Title screen a new thing?
• Ron going to April's house to get her back reminds me of the Don/Peggy scene in "Shut the Door, Have a Seat."
• Really cute episode. Character development.

Community, 30 Rock, The Office, 30 Rock

Community - Contemporary American Poultry, 1.21

• I, too, like to stay streets ahead.
• Abed voiceovers. Perfect.
• Layla sequence. This is v good.
• Hi, emotional center. Weren't gone long enough to quite miss you, but you are appreciated.
• Sidenote: Pomplamoose in a car commercial! What?! Exciting!

30 Rock - Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter, 4.17

• "You look like a prison weed dealer." - Jack
• The green logo in the corner is back for Earth Day! Good job, NBC, but needs moar Al Gore.
• Chelsea Handler/Elizabeth Banks similarity addressed kind of
• Oh hey Pete. And Sarah Lancaster.
• Julianne Moore does accents so badly. British, Boston, whatever.
• "Pete can you tell the bald eagle at the zoo to stop scaring me?" - Tracy, LOL SO HARD
• "This is America. None of us are supposed to be here." "I need to dance this out."
• "Threefer, 'cause you're also gay."

The Office - Secretary's Day, 6.22

• Written by Mindy! I'm excited.
• All right. Decent episode, and I liked that Michael was largely in the wings so to speak (Carrell directed) so that the accounting dept could shine. Oh, accounts. My favorite trio. I also liked that Michael was relatively understated, because this season especially, he's had some too-outlandish moments that really create distance between the audience and the character
• Erin's crazy reminds me of Jayma Mays as Emma's crazy: tt's the lesser of the two evils (Angela vs Erin, Terri vs Emma), but still pretty crazy. The difference is the latter of the two's idiosyncrasies are endearing.
• Loved the line about her hair being her room when she was in foster care, Ellie Kemper is amazing and SO funny
• I miss the creepy Pam/Toby days SO much, so I appreciated a little throwback here (intentional or not) when Toby was so eager to help Pam out, and she just hangs up on him. I miss Toby in general, being all the things he chooses to be.

30 Rock - Khonani, 4.18

• Ugh, this was kind of awful... I don't think I laughed once, except at some of Jenna's one-liners (the one about her not knowing how beautiful she is). Tracy and Kenneth's storyline was boring and unfunny.
• The Avery vs Nancy thing is so tired and dull. I hope it ends soon.
• I'm looking forward to the season finale when Floyd gets married. That's it.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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...

Last Thursday's NBC Comedy Lineup

Over a week later and I'm back. I wasn't immediately compelled to write about these episodes, so I simply never did. The theme of the night was of course Valentine's Day, and while it was fun to see each show's inevitable romantic, goofy, hijinks, on the whole I wasn't impressed. But there were parts that made me smile, so NBC comedy night, I forgive you!

Community - Communication Studies, 1.16

The previous week's episode, Romantic Expressionism, was flawless, and Communication Studies didn't measure up at all.

For starters: although I'm warming up to Britta (her hungover vulnerability helped, and I'm willing to bet it was supposed to), I thought her drunk dialing storyline was boring. And in the end, I still don't care enough about her and Jeff as a couple to get the warm-and-fuzzies at their Valentines dance encounter. It was a lame premise to begin with - Jeff having to drunk dial Britta because she did it to him? I'm sure there are many other solutions to "balance" their relationship. Abed's tutelage was funny, but the entire storyline felt contrived, once again, to get us to root for Jeff + Britta.

The parallel story with Troy, Pierce, Annie, Shirley, and Senor Chang was equally boring. I get it - Annie and Shirley care about their friends! Senor Chang is so hilariously cruel! Womens' pantsuits are funny! Overall, an underwhelming episode.

Parks and Recreation - Galentine's Day, 2.16

My favorite of the bunch, as per usual. I dug Leslie's extra thoughtful Galentines Day gift bags (which included a mosaic portrait made from the crushed bottles of each gal's favorite diet soda), Tom and Justin's relationship, Andy's band Mouse Rat (formerly Scarecrow Boat, among other names), the deleted scenes of everyone mocking poor Jerry, and above all, the relationship developments that occurred during the episode.

Leslie begins to realize Justin isn't right for her, and Ron helps her through the decision. April finally dumps her gay boyfriend and his boyfriend when they make fun of an old couple (she's really a big softie, underneath it all). Ann realizes her seemingly ideal relationship with Mark is actually pretty boring. Andy dedicates "The Way You Look Tonight" to April Ludgate, to Ann's surprise. Tom tells Wendy how he feels.

And that's just the regular cast! The central storyline really revolves around Leslie's mom Marlene's "greatest love story of all time" and its disillusionment. A great, relationship-driven episode, with fewer laughs than usual; but as always, with enough heart to make up for it.

The Office - The Manager and the Salesman, 6.16

My least favorite of the four... again! And I hate to say that, too, because it was written by Mindy Kaling, one of my favorite Office writers ("The Dundies," "The Injury," among others).

The parts I enjoyed were the cold open (Michael canceling his hotel reservation), the Kelly/Erin/Andy/entire office V-Day card confusion (Andy/Erin is my favorite part of every episode, now), and at the very end when Jim dunked Dwight's tie into his coffee (oh prankster Jim, how I miss you!).

The parts I didn't enjoy were everything else. Hasn't the Jim vs. Michael managerial/control thing been played out? Not fun anymore. Hopefully that's done now, with Jim back as a salesman again.

30 Rock - Anna Howard Shaw Day, 4.13

I'd been looking forward to this episode since the promo pictures came out of Drew, Dennis, and Floyd. Liz Lemon is a lucky woman!

The episode had some hits (Jenna thinking Julia Roberts is her peer, "One word: Oral. Two words: Oral surgery.") and some misses (Jenna's stalker plot was kinda flat). I liked Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup and her Hot Box interview with Jack. But my favorite part had to be in the last five minutes (sigh!) when Liz hallucinated the nurses as her past boyfriends. Dean Winters, Jon Hamm, and Jason Sudeikis looking VERY good. I was pleased. And the tag had me cracking up, hilarious!

In short: so-so episode; love Liz's ex-boyfriends.

The Office - Sabre, 6.15

I don't like The Office much anymore. It's a good show with a good cast, which is why I'm disappointed in the writing this season. Because it's a "small" show about a single office in Scranton, Pennsylvania, easy plot lines were quickly exhausted (sexual harassment seminars, changes in corporate positions). However, the strong cast of characters kept the show compelling.

This season, a lot of what I once loved about The Office is missing.

The will-they-or-won't-they relationship the whole world cheered for is still cute, but to quote Thursday's episode, "Did you ever consider you might not be as charming as you think you are?" The daycare man's inquiry is legitimate. Jim and Pam aren't nearly as endearing as they used to be, not because they're married now, but because their new positions have changed them. Jim as co-manager can't pull pranks on Dwight like he used to, and saleswoman Pam (still season 3's Fancy New Beesly) just isn't as much fun. Remember that Christmas gift Pam gave Jim that one year? Dwight's CIA mission? I miss those escapades.

I miss Amy Ryan as Holly, I miss Melora Hardin as sane Jan. I miss BJ Novak actually having screen time, and sane Ryan. I miss Kelly and Ryan together. I miss Toby, though I understand Paul Lieberstein not having enough time to write and act. All of this, plus the distance I feel between myself and the characters this season, makes for a less than pleasant viewing experience. Unwatchable even, in some cases (Scott's Tots anyone?).

Not to mention, paired with 30 Rock in the 9 o'clock hour (as well as Community and Parks and Recreation prior), The Office is easily the weaker of the two.

I thought The Office did an admirable job last season, thanks mostly to the inspired Michael Scott Paper Company and introduction of Holly Flax. Season five was the funniest since season two. This season I've just been let down.

It's an extremely popular show, and unlike a lot of the other shows I watch, I don't have to worry about it going off the air. I'll continue to watch for as long as the show goes on, and hopefully soon it will pick up again. Here's to hoping!

Things about Sabre:

• Erin and Andy are so sweet. I enjoy watching their frustrating courtship. Yet Alan Sepinwall's post brought to my attention the documentary format's continuity. The pair needs a little help from the camera guys!
• I hope this isn't David Wallace's last appearance (I doubt it is), though I'd hate to see him less and less sane in coming episodes. Another Jan, another Ryan.