Season Analysis: Girls consciously remained unlike most anything else on TV, and it was fitfully successful in doing so. This season, I often found myself fascinated by the show instead of enjoying it. This isn’t to say that Girls is that bad … in Season 1, I know I liked it; in Season 2, I’m not always so sure what I thought.
“It’s a Shame About Ray”
Shoshanna Shapiro has been the most consistently strong character on Girls, and Ray Ploshansky was the most improved in Season 2, so it should be no surprise that an episode that featured a major plot development regarding Ray and Shoshanna’s relationship stood out as the best of the season. “It’s a Shame About Ray” was already looking like a great episode before Zosia Mamet and Alex Karpovsky even had any screen time. Hannah was hosting a dinner party at her apartment with a group of friends who currently were not on the best terms with each other – getting a group like that together in a room is always a recipe for entertaining drama, and this episode did not disappoint in that regard, as Charlie’s new girlfriend Audrey spits fire upon Marnie, and the Charlie and Marnie confront their lingering feelings for each other. When Ray and Shosh show up, it’s not clear how well they are working as a couple, but there is definitely something there. At least they communicate more openly than all the other characters on the show (with the possible exception of Adam). I always appreciate when people talk openly about sex, so it was a nice moment when Ray clarified that their reason for lateness was lovemaking. And the discussion about Ray’s homelessness goes about as well as that discussion could possibly go, because, even though there is a lot of work to get through Ray’s insecurities, these two actually talk and actually listen to each other.
Remember that SNL sketch in which they kept cutting to a clip of Lou Diamond Phillips laughing?
Original Version 1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us” 2. P!nk ft. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason” 3. Selena Gomez – “Come & Get It” 4. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors” 5. Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX – “I Love It” 6. Imagine Dragons – “Radioactive” 7. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man” 8. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” 9. Mariah Carey ft. Miguel – “#Beautiful” 10. Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – “Stay” 11. Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller – “The Way” 12. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines” 13. will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber – “#thatPOWER” 14. Avril Lavigne – “Here’s to Never Growing Up” 15. Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity” 16. Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack” 17. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me” 18. Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment” 19. Taylor Swift – “22” 20. Jason Derulo – “The Other Side”
Jmunney’s Revision 1. Radioactive 2. I Love It 3. Come & Get It 4. Mirrors 5. Stay 6. Blurred Lines 7. Heart Attack 8. Can’t Hold Us 9. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) 10. Next to Me 11. #Beautiful 12. Just Give Me a Reason 13. Clarity 14. When I Was Your Man 15. Feel This Moment 16. #thatPOWER 17. The Other Side 18. The Way 19. 22 20. Here’s to Never Growing Up
Season Analysis: Billy on the Street still makes me laugh more than anything else, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Best Episode: Episode 6 (1/25/13)
I was not planning on picking a best episode of the season for Billy, because it is not exactly a show that makes sense to think of on an episode-by-episode basis. But then Episode 6 of Season 2 happened, and it was undoubtedly the most satisfying half hour thus far of the entire series. It featured excellent editions of “For a Dollar” and “Lightning Round,” as well as the best “Quizzed in the Face” contestant of the season – Samantha, who likes black guys – as well as the best celebrity guest – Nas, who stopped by for a round of “Media Mogul or Rabbi.”
Here are some other highlights from the season:
“Quizzed in the Face” contestant runner-up: Elena, who really needed to get on the subway
Best prize: A big picture of James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars
“Miss, miss, for a dollar are you gonna miss the show Weeds?”
“What?”
“Weeds.”
“What is that?”
“Weeds.”
“What is Weeds?”
“Weeds, with Mary-Louise Parker.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s going, it’s ca-, it’s going off the air.”
“Ohhh, so I give you a dollar?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, all right.”
“Okay, yes.”
“I don’t know-”
“Give me a dollar because Weeds is going off the air, and-”
“Where does this goes, oh the dollar?”
“Yes, I’ll give it to Mary-Louise Parker.”
“Ah, all right.”
“Thank you.”
“Sir, for a dollar, do you consider Bethenny Frankel our Golda Meir?” “I don’t even know who the f*** that is.”
“Miss, Hobbit got you down?” “Get down, yourself, ma-”
“Miss, for a dollar, who farts more: Whoopi Goldberg or Blake Shelton?”
“I don’t know.”
“Take a guess.”
“Guess?”
“Whoopi Goldberg or Blake Shelton.”
“I don’t like burgers.”
(to an Indian family) “Are you guys Mumford & Sons?”
“Sir, sir, for a dollar, imagine Kathy Bates on a bicycle.”
“Miss, I hate Claire Danes!”
(takes off headphones) “What’s that?”
“I hate Claire Danes.”
“Why?”
“She’s scary.”
“Why?”
“She is.”
“You want some pizza?”
“NO! GOD, NO! I’M LACTOSE-INTOLERANT!”
“Miss, for a dollar, can you be intelligent and be named Cheryl?” “No.”
(cut to next clip)
“Miss, for a dollar, scream the name of your mother.” “CHERYL!”
“Sir, do you love Leonardo DiCaprio?”
“What?”
“Leonardo DiCaprio.”
“Yeah?”
“You love him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He’s okay.”
“For a dollar, who do you love better: Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio?”
“Neither.”
“Why neither?”
“They don’t turn me on.”
“Who turns you on?”
“A friend of mine sent me, put a Valentine-”
“Yes. I’m so glad I’m hearing this story.”
“And with a piece of chocolate, he must have given out 30, he must have given out 300-”
“Such a good story.”
“And it had a picture of Superman on it.”
“I love Superman.”
“And he said, and it said on the thing, ‘May you have a Super Valentine’s Day.’ In other words, if I’m gonna find someone, it’s gonna be from another f***in’ galaxy.”
“According to the TV show, what city is it always sunny in?
A) San Francisco
B) Sunny von Bülow
C) Philadelphia, or
D) (turns to camera and smiles) Louie!”
“Miss, miss, for a dollar, would you leave your family just to be able to smell Ryan Gosling’s balls?”
“Miss, for a dollar, who do you think is more sophisticated: Daniel Tosh or the stork from the Vlasic pickle commercials?”
“Miss, here we go, for a dollar: Do me baby
Do the Humpty Hump
Watch me do the Humpty Hump
Sing. Sing. Do me baby
Do the Humpty Hump”
“I don’t speak Eng-”
“‘Humpty Hump.’ ‘Humpty Hump’”
“Humpty Hump?”
“Yes. Do me baby
Do the Humpty Hump”
“Humpty Hump”
“Watch me, watch me, watch me do the Hu-umpty Hump.”
“Humpty Hump”
“Yes, do me baby
Do the Humpty Hump
Watch me do the:”
“Watch me do the.”
“Hum…”
“Humpty Hump.”
“Yes, here you go (hands dollar), th-thank you.”
“Sir, for a dollar, who’s the most famous ugly person?”
“Sir, do you think Gwyneth Paltrow will ever be happy.” “No, she’s too thin.”
“Sir, for a dollar, do you think Gisele Bündchen understands the jokes on Portlandia?”
“Sir, seriously, isn’t it time for an ABC Family original movie starring Anna Kendrick called WPE: Worst Passover Ever?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Thank you very much.”
Season Analysis: A new sketch show that revolves around one person tends to be a comedic expression of that person’s worldview. That is not really the case with Nick Kroll, who has instead used Kroll Show as a platform for showing off his vast repertoire of characters. Or, the show really does present his worldview, in which case, he watches a lot of reality TV.
“San Diego Diet”
The premiere episode of Kroll Show set the tone for the first season with the initial appearance of Kroll and Jenny Slate’s Liz and Liz characters in PubLizity, which captures the Bravo reality show style a little too well (Jenny is adorable as Liz, but Kroll’s Liz is a bit of a pain to listen to). But Episode 1 manages to stand out among the Season 1 batch thanks to the runner sketch Wheels Ontario, a Degrassi parody in which every student at a high school besides Kroll’s newcomer is in a wheelchair. That premise alone should be enough to make the sketch a winner, but there is thankfully a lot more to it in that, as every possible Canadian stereotype is included and Kroll’s character is taunted with the nickname “Legs” and it is all wisely played straight, with the improbability of the situation never questioned.
Sketch of the Season: “Electricity”
The joke of “Electricity” – a male stripper routine designed around the theme of electricity – at first seemed to be that guys who aren’t necessarily all that attractive stripping is funny, which would have been a bit too cruel. But then it turned out to be too strange and elaborate (the guys dress up as, and then out of, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs) to be cruel. And then the whole thing turns out to be a birthday present made at some place that produces cheap videos starring customers, and I don’t even know if places like that even exist anymore.
The best Portlandia sketches lovingly satirize the most indulgent aspects of modern interaction. “Spoiler Alert” takes long-overdue aim at today’s culture of spoiler avoidance and demonstrates that refusing to set any time limit on spoilers threatens to reduce the viewing public to a squawking, incoherent mess, in the same style that was warned about regarding readership one-upmanship in the Season 1 classic, “Did You Read?” This sketch also manages to deepen the show’s mythology, as it revisits characters from the Battlestar Galactica-inspired “One Moore Episode,” AND it manages to present the best homage to the series finale of Newhart that I’ve ever seen.
Runners-Up:
“Renaming NE 15th Avenue” – “Call me a traditionalist–” “You’re a traditionalist.”
“Unconventional Art” – “Anything can be art!” taken to the nth degree is kind of hard to think about, if you think about it.
“Birthday Loan Application” – The latest appearance from one of Kumail Nanjiani’s painfully officious bureaucratic types.
Season Analysis: I was generally satisfied with the first two seasons of Portlandia, but I could understand if the show wasn’t catching on with a large general audience, but with Season 3, it has gotten more and more accessible to the point at which it deserves full mainstream recognition.
“Take Back MTV”
The whole “dream of the 90s is alive in Portland” ethos of Portlandia suggests a constant spirit of social activism. It is not always put to use, because in a relative utopia like Portland, actually active activism does not seem all that necessary. Furthermore, the daily routine of many Portlanders is already plenty activist enough. So when a Portlander goes out of the way to really be an activist, it is for a cause like … reclaiming MTV. Spike gathers up a crew of his friends to restore the days when MTV played music 24/7 and was the height of cool. Like the good old days that conservatives pine for, this time never actually existed. But Kurt Loder, Matt Pinfield, and Tabitha Soren are still alive, and they’re still cool people and seeing them reunited in this episode was a victory unto itself. The cold opening sketch worked hand in hand with the take back MTV runner, as an attempt at a modern-day protest song keeps getting overtaken by a dance party vibe.
Honorable Mention: “Blackout” was a brilliant season finale, serving as the fullest realization yet of the show’s attempts at increased serialization.
Season Analysis: Given 30 Rock’s nature as a well-oiled joke factory, it was a pleasant surprise that it spent its final season wrapping up all its character arcs in the most emotionally satisfying ways possible.
“Last Lunch”
If the finale of 30 Rock had a thesis statement, it was represented by the scene of Liz talking with Tracy at the same strip club they visited in the pilot. These characters are going their separate ways, just as they are going their separate ways from viewers. They may promise to reunite with each other, and they may really mean it, but life gets in the way, and so those promises do not always work out. Liz Lemon does mean it when she makes that promise, despite all the grief that Tracy Jordan gave her when they were working together. Her sincerity, gratifying though it is, may do nothing to make a reunion any more likely. So that is why she tells him that she is going to miss him, and she tells him as hard as she possibly can. We already miss you, 30 Rock, and it sounds like you miss us, too.
Season Analysis: AHS: Asylum had enough intriguing setpieces, probing philosophical quandaries, and stellar acting to offset the (relatively little) nonsense.
“I Am Anne Frank, Pt. 2”
The Anne Frank storyline – like much of American Horror Story – seemed extraneous by season’s end, though it was fun while it lasted. But the storyline that gives this episode its title wasn’t even what made it a great episode. Rather, it was a series of moments that established how the rest of the season was going to spiral outward and forward: Dr. Arden threatens Sister Jude, who falls back to her old alcoholic ways; Dr. Thredson reveals himself as Bloody Face as he traps Lana in his basement; and in the scariest shot of the season, Shelley is discovered hiding in the stairwell by a school playground, a grotesque, mangled abomination of her former self.
Honorable Mention: “Unholy Night,” thanks to the immortal line, “There is no god, but there is a Santa Claus.”
Season Analysis: Despite its huge roster of main characters, Parenthood is easier than most shows to jump into at any point, if my experience is to be trusted. Most storylines were perfectly pleasant, but Lauren Graham has had too many messy love life storylines at this point (and I’m saying this as someone who only started watching this season), although at least Ray Romano was brought on board to give a solid performance for that arc.
“There’s Something I Need to Tell You”
Whenever I think about saying, “I don’t know what specific details made this episode so good, but I know I liked it overall,” I make it a point to go back and remind myself of the details. But in the case of Parenthood, I think it is actually appropriate to say that I am not sure what details of this episode made it so good. That is because there is always a multitude of storylines going on, and most episodes do not have a strict beginning or end to any of those storylines, and the same solid level of quality is consistently maintained over each episode. I do know that I enjoyed “There’s Something I Need to Tell You” more than any other episode of Season 4 of Parenthood. That probably had something to do with Kristina telling her family members about her cancer, which was something that had to happen and of course those moments were going to be heartwarming. But other than that, it is hard to say that there was something more than just some ineffable quality that made this episode better than all the others.
Season Analysis: The final season of Fringe was definitely not for new viewers, but it wasn’t exactly a “let’s just reward long time viewers” situation either. The 2036-set Season 5 was kind of its own thing, and Fringe ultimately proved to be the latest example how a time jump can reinvigorate a TV series.
“Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There” Fringe has always excelled at backstory-filling episodes, and “Through the Looking Glass…” was no exception. Taking visual and thematic cues from M.C. Escher and (as indicated by the title) Alice in Wonderland, this episode finds Walter being led by one of the tapes he left himself to a pocket universe in an apartment building. The use of old videotaped footage in Fringe has always given me a Lost vibe, as the Dharma Initiative videos set the gold standard in that area. This particular episode ramped up that feeling, as the point of this episode’s video was instruction, and like the instruction of the Dharma videos, all the details seem so arbitrary. But the fun of Fringe and Walter Bishop in particular is that each odd detail actually does have a point. That goofy walking actually does lead to opening up the portal to the pocket universe. This episode also sets the chilling tone for the arc of Peter with the Observer implant in his brain, establishing just how much his existence has been affected by that decision.
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