And that’s all I have to say about that
Mad Men: About once every season, we get a Pete-centric episode. Pete is an interesting character to me because most of the time, I dislike him. He’s weasel-y, whiny and wimpy, and I sometimes feel that he’s there on the show more to contrast the other characters than to be a good character unto himself. But Matthew Weiner wants us to understand him, which I appreciate. Here, you really begin to think of Pete as a younger version of Don. He’s in the same place Don was 5-10 years ago, and he could make the same mistakes with infidelity and boredom. But Don doesn’t want him to, and Don takes it upon himself to curb the behavior that he sees going on. I really liked that idea because it means that Don has progressed as a character enough to be able to look on his past with some perspective. The other things I liked in the epiosde? Well, the fight was obviously awesome. Plus, I liked the callback to the BB gun. Pete sitting in his office at the end of season 2 is one of the images I remember most from Mad Men, so it was great to see it mentioned again. Finally, the end with Ken writing his sci-fi novel was a very literary touch and it captured the mood of the episode extremely well. Overall, a very good, if not classic, episode of the show. B+
Game of Thrones: After a good season opener, I’m falling into that place I was in last year. There are so many plots, so many characters, that I never really get attached to one. We saw Jon Snow for, what, five minutes? And when’s the next time we see Daenerys? This episode was interesting with Tyrion testing his counsel, Sansa struggling in her position at King’s Landing, and Arya getting captured, but I’m still not invested. Oh well. I’ll keep watching anyway. B
The Killing: I really should drop this show, and yet I don’t. Is that the definition of crazy? Maybe it’s just the downside of TV addiction. This is the baking soda that I’m willing to snort up my nose in hopes that it’s pure coke. I should know better, but I don’t. I think I have a problem. C
The Good Wife: Excellent as usual. My DVR decided to crap out in the middle of this, so my impression is a little strange, but I love Matthew Perry as the bad guy in this, and I thought having Alicia stand next to her husband at the end was a nice callback to the first season. I’m excited for the push to the season finale. B+
Bones: Meh. C+
Smash: Uma Thurman was pretty good, which surprised me a little just because I haven’t been following her in ages. Also, Ivy and Karen becoming friends is a storyline I can get behind, especially after all the cattiness from the beginning of the season. And can I say I love what they are doing with Tom. The critics of this show are saying that it understands/portrays gay relationships much better than straight ones and I wholeheartedly agree. I’m kind of glad about that too because it’s about damn time gay relationships were done well. So thanks, Smash, for that. B
How I Met Your Mother: Not the best episode ever, but it was so much better than the deplorable “Trilogy Time” that I was very happy with it. Also, I like that Robin has some good things going for her because it’s been a really crappy year (infertility, failed engagement, break-up with her best friend). I hope that the show stays on track through the end of the season because I’m really loving it right now. It’s actually starting to defy my five season rule, which is cool, because the exceptions are fun to study. B+
Castle: Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin back together again. ‘Nough said. B+
Cougar Town: I watched this episode twice because I wasn’t paying the best attention the first time. Upon second viewing, I loved it even more. It’s not a clean-cut, thematic episode like other great Cougar Town stories, but each plot was detailed and fun. Travis stealing the cougar with his dad and granddad was great, not only because it had the titular cougar in it, but I really like Sid and the guy formally known as Tinker (from FNL). Also, I thought it was hilarious when Chip breaks out his gun and everyone ducks except Bobby, who believes “You bring a gun so you don’t have to use a gun.” Jules and Ellie were great too, if only because their friendship is the core of the show and we need to be reminded of that sometimes. Finally, Grayson and Laurie were good, but anyone else think Laurie was a little too spastic at times” When she’s talking about her hamster eating its own baby, I kind of thought she was on something. But maybe that was just me. A-
Raising Hope: The only thing saving this episode from a full-on F is Martha Plimpton’s impression of Miss Teen South Carolina was pretty impressive. Otherwise, I hated this episode. It was just so far from the realm of believability that I couldn’t accept it. A jury for a custody case? Really? I guess they managed to surprise me when Lucy to try to kill Sabrina towards the end, but at that point, I was so checked out, it didn’t make a difference to me. Let’s hope that the summer off gives Greg Garcia some time to reflect on what he has done to us as viewers and that he’ll come back contrite and, well, funnier. A girl can dream, can’t she? D
New Girl: Somehow, this show has become one of my favorites. It kind of defies belief because I hated it at the beginning. But now, everyone bounces off each other so well that it’s just plain funny. Plus, Jess has really been subdued. Now she’s not the cooky, crazy, “I don’t know how awesome I am” girl, but more the quirky den mother that has to keep her friends in line. I like that dynamic much more than the former. And on top of all that character stuff, this episode was wall-to-wall funny. My favorite was at the end when Jess is saying goodbye to Chloe, and she yells at Jeanne Tripplehorn “Ouli, you’re so cooly” and Jeanne Tripplehorn yells through the door “Jess, you’re a mess.” It was barely audible, but it as a little, subtle, stupid note that made me love the writers. Well done. A-
Suburgatory: You know how just above, I loved Castle just for the reunion of Jane and Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Well, this got super-extra points for the Clueless reunion, especially the joke about “suck and blow“. A-
Modern Family: I think I may watch Modern Family for different reasons than other people because the consensus this week was that this was not a very good episode. But I really liked it. I liked Luke being a little sociopathic, and Claire smiling at death. And I liked Phil trying to have a good moment with Alex, especially when he wrote her initials on the moon sign at the diner. And, for once, Jay wasn’t annoying. He and Cameron’s father actually had an honest talk about the way gay couples are perceived, and I was impressed that the writers did the scene so well. The story with Manny and Haley was forgettable, but I’m okay with that. And at least Gloria was minimal here. I swear, I was reading an article about show-blockers, and Gloria is one here for me. A-
Revenge: For the long awaited return of this show, it was pretty lackluster. Too many loose ends to deal with, too many convoluted plots hanging in the balance. I hope things become more streamlined going into the final season push. I’ll withhold judgement for now. C
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23: This episode was actually dirtier than last week, which is a feat unto itself. (“lady hamster” and “I touched it through bike shorts” I’m surprised they made it passed the censors.) But I did like it. I think the secondary characters are still too cartoonish, but I loved James Van Der Beek this week, and I was quite impressed when Chloe pushed her dad into the street. It’s bizarre things like that that will keep me coming back to the show. I do love a surreal comedy. B
Community: I’m not yet sure how I feel about this episode, so take this grade with a grain of salt. I imagine that I could look back on this episode come next September when the DVDs come out with a lot more love or I could hate it. But for now, I’m torn. I feel like this episode was trying to accomplish something I don’t quite understand yet or have the perspective to see yet. But I also feel like it bumps up against something that has been out there but never really addressed on the show. And that is Abed’s level of sanity. Abed is funny because he sees the world in a different way than all the other characters on the show. He most likely has some sort of autism, but that has never really mentioned by anyone since the pilot. However, there are times, like “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” and even “Biology 101” when he veers into crazytown. And he does that again in this episode. It makes for really dark comedy, but it also makes me wonder why no one really acknowledges the seriousness of the situation. When Pierce has a drug problem, the group confronts him. But when Abed completely goes catatonic, they play along, feed into his fantasy, and hope he learns something? I’m going to wait until the end of this season to see how things play out, but I’m starting to wonder about this element of the show. That said, it was a funny episode with Die Hard jokes, mention of Pierce’s balls and what seems like the beginning of Britta and Troy dating. So I liked it for that. B+
The Office: This is probably as close as The Office has gotten to its classic structure in a long time. You know, the problem in the office leads to problems in a character’s personal life leads to an awkward talk in the conference room leads to some sort of catharsis. And for the most part, it worked. Andy was really good in this, and I really like his dynamic with Erin. And I loved the callback to season three when Andy punched a hole in the wall. “The Return” just happens to be one of my favorite episodes of the show. Plus, at the end, when Andy decides to quit, it was about as good as the show has gotten in a while. I found myself smiling the way I used to while watching older episodes. The other elements in the episode were not as successful. Ryan and Kelly have never been my favorites, so I was not at all invested in their story. In fact, Ryan annoys the hell out of me, so the more screen time he got, the less I liked the plot line. And speaking of things I hate, I loathe Robert and Nellie. The sooner they are off the show, the better. If it weren’t for them, this episode would have gotten a better grade. B
30 Rock: This was as close to a classic 30 Rock episode as we have gotten in a long time. Jenna’s breakdown was very funny. Jack trying to sell American made couches had just the right amount of satire. And Liz remembering that she wants a baby was very well done. I like that this season the writers are allowing Liz to grow. Plus, I just really enjoyed the little girl who was a mini-Liz Lemon. Let’s pray that this episode was not a fluke because it’s about time I started enjoying 30 Rock again. I’ve already given up on The Office, I don’t want to give up on this show yet. A-
Awake: I may have fallen asleep during the middle of this episode. I can’t quite remember. Or I may not have. Maybe I woke up in an alternate world and finished watching it. I’ll never know. B-
Grey’s Anatomy: A little too cheesy for my taste. The bones of the story – a kidnapped girl found years later – were good, but the applause for Owen at the end? Ugh. Ruined the episode for me. C
Scandal: It wouldn’t be a Shondra Rhimes series without a rape episode. Does that sound harsh? I guess, but she does get really, really preachy at times. Also, the President is really starting to annoy me. I mean, he’s the President, for pete’s sake. So stop making him into a whiny bitch. It really begs believability that a guy in charge of the free world would be so weak. B-
Fringe: Apparently there is a pattern that the 19th episode produced for each season of Fringe is the wackiest. That applies for “Brown Betty” and also for “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.” And it applies for this week’s episode “Letters in Transit.” I actually quite enjoyed this jump into the future. I found it fun seeing Broyles in aging make-up, and I especially loved seeing Henry Ian Cusack back on a JJ Abrams show. Crazy Walter was great too. But did anyone else guess that Etta was Peter and Olivia’s child from the get-go? It was pretty damn obvious, right? But even with that telegraphed reveal, I am curious to see how/if this pertains to the current plot. Only time, and possibly a series renewal will tell. A
The Ricky Gervais Show: Sometimes, I am just thankful that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are out there in the world. I love their brand of comedy so much, and they brighten my day every time I get to listen to it. Sure, the part with the Tom Cruise movie got a little/a lot long, but I’m just glad Ricky, Stephen and Karl are back on the air. I missed them so. B+
Mary the TV Maven 