June 28, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Television, The Office
“China”
The premise of The Office, for both the U.K. and U.S. versions, in terms of the main character, is a terrible boss who is so unaware of his own shortcomings such that he thinks he is the best boss in the world. This unlikability, while funny initially, resists durability. If dragged on too long, it becomes either too depressing or too shticky. That is why the U.K. Office ended after only two seasons, and why the U.S. Office has made it clear that Michael Scott is not as bad as he first appeared, that he is essentially sweet-natured, and thus plenty lovable. Still, it has generally remained the case that Michael’s coworkers have had to look past his foibles to be able to see that likability. So it was gratifying in “China” to behold Michael looking impressive, with no exceptions necessary. He expresses concerns over the rising economic power of China, a concern worth having, and when he states his facts, he actually seems to know what he is talking about. He is even able to show up Oscar, the office’s resident pretentious blowhard. If a show is going to be on the air for several years, an audience appreciates it if there is a character that it can get behind, and there were plenty of moments in “China” in which Michael proved that he is such a character.
Next up: Parks and Recreation
June 27, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Television, The Big Bang Theory
“The Benefactor Factor”
Some fans of The Big Bang Theory have criticized it by saying that it has become “The Sheldon Show,” the accusation being that it has come to focus too much on the Vulcan-esque lead at the expense of every other character. This is rather nonsensical, considering, for one, that this has been the case from the beginning, and also, that this is a good thing. Sheldon is by far the funniest and most interesting character on the show. But, indeed, for The Big Bang Theory to be as strong as it can possibly be, every character should be given a chance to shine. Thus, it was a joy to watch the entire gang rib Leonard as he was propositioned by an elderly millionaire widow apparently in exchange for a donation for the university. Sheldon, Howard, and Raj all had their opportunities to fire away, and Penny was able to show off her expertise for “trading sexual favors for material gain” (as Sheldon described it). While each character was given due screen time in this episode, of course it was Sheldon who delivered the most memorable lines, as he expressed his pride in Leonard for selling himself out like “a common streetwalker” and his “real knack for gigolo work.”
Next up: The Office
June 23, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Raising Hope, Television
“Pilot”
When Lucy got the electric chair, I became fully convinced that there was no way that the show that had kick-started its premise with a one-night stand with a serial killer that led to a baby could ever top itself, and I was right. The mix of high stakes, bewilderment, and resourcefulness in the opening scenes of the pilot episode were so transcendent that the remaining episodes of the resoundingly low-key Raising Hope never had a chance to measure up.
Next up: The Big Bang Theory
June 23, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Gossip Girl, Television
“Petty in Pink”
The debut of Kaylee DeFer as “Charlie” in the previous episode was generally inauspicious, but in her second episode, she turned out to be one of those meta-variety cast additions who seems to be so knowledgeable of the tropes of the show such that she must be a devoted viewer. That was a fun bit of meta-humor at the time, but it was not the sort of comedy that a soap, even an ironic one like Gossip Girl, could be expected to maintain. With the reveal of Charlie as “Ivy” in the finale, though, it turned out, on multiple levels, that this was in fact the correct way for DeFer to play her part. As for the finale, it did, as per usual, come packed with the greatest number of juicy twists, but it was the beginning of this season’s final storylines that set those twists up and made them as gratifying as they were. Blair’s positive pregnancy test may have shown up in the finale, but in “Petty in Pink,” all three of her Season 4 suitors were prominently in the picture. Thus, the situation in “Pink” made it possible that if Blair is in fact pregnant, the dad could be any of the three. Well, it almost definitely is not Dan. And her times with Louis appear to have been chaste. Basically, Chuck must be the father. Nonetheless, “Petty in Pink” is still noteworthy for the fullest realization of that love quadrangle.
Next up: Raising Hope
June 23, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, How I Met Your Mother, Television
“Hopeless”
It was distressing to see Barney struggle to reunite with his father this season not only because we wanted the reconciliation to be a happy one, but also because we wanted to see John Lithgow break loose and show off his comic skills. This finally happened with “Hopeless,” in which Jerry (Lithgow) realized that Barney would never start having a good time with his father until they had a legendary night of partying. So the sometime magician pulls off the ultimate magic trick: a pretend night of debauchery. Using sleight of hand, he downs several shots in a row, and in the hours that follow, he picks a fight with a biker, yanks out a parking meter, and pukes on a cop car, or at least that is how a very drunk Barney sees it. Really, the biker is a statue, and Barney is the one who threw up. As Jerry explains his ruse and its purposes of bonding with Barney and teaching him that he cannot party forever, we have one of those great “think back, remember how it really happened” moments.
Next up: Gossip Girl
June 23, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Desperate Housewives, Television
“Farewell Letter”
During the early days of Desperate Housewives, Gabby was the weakest of the housewives, her storylines less meaningful and even frothier than those of the other housewives. Now that the show as a whole has grown a little long in the tooth, the situation has reversed, and Gabby’s storylines now have the most emotional depth of the series. Take “Farewell Letter” for example, in which Gabby and Carlos returned to Gabby’s hometown to confront the demons of her childhood. She confronted the nun who had never – and still refused – to believe Gabby’s revelations of her stepfather molesting her. Anyone who has grown up Catholic knows that confronting a nun – particularly a really mean nun – is a powerful situation. This moment was just as wrenching as Gabby’s hysterics following the loss of Grace, but it was also fulfilling, and the writers had worked hard to get to that fulfillment.
Next up: How I Met Your Mother
June 21, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Television, The Cleveland Show
“Murray Christmas”
It is a modern-day saw that fat people are the last group that it is politically correct to make fun of, but Jews are not too far behind in this regard. This speaks to the tradition of (often self-deprecating) comedy in Jewish culture. Because of that tradition, Jewish humor has a knack for showing up just about every area of the comedy world, even a usually Jew-lacking cartoon like The Cleveland Show. The characterization of Rallo as too smart for his age, but not really, has generally served The Cleveland Show well, and it did so particularly with this episode as the Carl Reiner-voiced Murray taught the previously ignorant regarding Judaism Rallo about Hanukkah. Rallo provided chuckles with his misconceptions about Jews, and his friendship with Murray ended up being surprisingly and gratifyingly sweet-natured.
Next up: Desperate Housewives
June 20, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Smallville, Television
“Finale”
Smallville was never the best TV show, nor even the best superhero TV show for that matter, but it was generally always so in tune with the world of geekdom such that there were plenty of moments to make us smile and say, “Yeah, that’s a superhero.” But then in its last few seasons, it became … something else. It was never too steeped in its comic origins, while it also never really strayed too far from them either. It was hard to describe. (I think part of the problem was Tess Mercer, a character I’ve never heard anybody say they liked.) Michael Rosenbaum returned as Lex in the series finale, and though he was only on screen for about five minutes, it brought back the best of Smallville long enough to make the finale the best episode of the season. Rosenbaum was easily the best actor in the main cast during Smallville’s entire run, and it showed in that scene, as he elevated the performances of Tom Welling and every element of the setting. I could never quite understand why Lex did seem to be legitimately dead, considering that Smallville was principally conceived around the friendship between Clark and Lex and how that friendship contrasted with their future as enemies. If that future would not come to pass, that would have wiped out a great deal of meaning from the first half of the series. As for the rest of the finale, the epilogue was gratifying, and it had been set up nicely by the preview moments from earlier in the season.
Next up: The Cleveland Show
June 16, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Community, Television
“Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design”
The thing about poorly constructed conspiracy-laden stories is that as the conspiracy unravels, the story becomes less and less compelling. The truth is revealed, and that truth is that the way in which the conspiracy was wrapped up in itself was the only interesting thing there ever was about the story. The writers of Community get this concept, and thus they crafted an episode about a conspiracy that was about a conspiracy, which kept having more layers and tangents added to it until it could no longer really be considered a conspiracy, but instead just “random crap.” As Jeff attempted to convince Dean Pelton of the validity of his fraudulent independent study, “Professor Professorson” burst out to declare that cliché bon mot, “One man’s lies are another man’s truth.” Despite the meaninglessness of that line, it was filled with depth and charisma, as Professorson (really Woolery) was portrayed by supporting player extraordinaire Kevin Corrigan, who elevates whatever he appears in exponentially. In the role that he is probably best known for – Uncle Eddie on Grounded for Life – Corrigan seemed like he was in a completely different show than every other character. Such an acting style was profoundly apt for the role of Professorson, and a microcosmic representation of Community as a whole. Here is a show that is so beautifully wrapped up in itself. Blanket fort town, anyone?
Next up: Smallville
June 15, 2011
jmunney
Best Episodes of the 2010-2011 Season, Best Episodes of the Season, Fringe, Television
“Subject 13”
Can all Fringe episodes be set in the eighties? Alas, I cannot make that request with full sincerity, because if every episode of Fringe was a flashback episode, then they probably would not all reach the storytelling heights that were reached last season with “Peter” and this season with “Subject 13.” John Noble’s portrayals of the two Walter’s became more and more legendary in an episode that screamed multidimensionality. As the main-universe Walter, he alternated between an overreaching manipulator and a surrogate father figure for a young Olivia abused by her stepfather (I get choked up just thinking about the moment when Walter warns her stepfather what he will do if he ever harms her again). As Walternate, he was not yet the obsessed revenge-seeker that Fringe fans had come to know him as, but instead a man driven to despair, both because of the loss of his child and the failure and of his cognitive abilities, as he was unable to figure out the circumstances of his son’s kidnapping. The most tantalizing scene was the test footage of Walter attempting to coax Olivia’s ability to cross over. Another J.J. Abrams creation – Lost – was most consistently successful in terms of amping up a mysterious mood with its use of test footage, and Fringe has now shown itself to be just as capable with this simple, yet clever technique. The scene in which Olivia crosses over and speaks to Walternate teased what was still to come, thankfully making it clear that the eighties storyline is not finished.
Next up: Community
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