This week:
- How I Met Your Mother
- Raising Hope
- New Girl
- The Mindy Project
- The Big Bang Theory
- The Office
- Parks and Recreation
How I Met Your Mother – “Twelve Angry Women”
This episode can be assessed in two parts. Part one: Marshall’s law case. The fact that Joe Manganiello Magic Miked his way through the court case meant that his subterfuge in Marshall’s office was pointless. There were nice bits to that storyline, but overall it was kind of scattered. Part two: The gang competing for who was the biggest teen rebel felt like a funny storyline from 2005. A reference to The Wire is never wrong, but everything about that storyline felt predictable.
Best moment: Lily as Omar was the only time I laughed out loud.
Raising Hope – “The Walk for the Runs”
I like to be brief about Raising Hope because I find that the show’s silliness doesn’t lend itself well to reviewing. So I’ll simply say, I didn’t hate this episode, but I found some of it to be a little too “bitches be crazy” for my taste. And poop jokes, well, you know. They’re crap. (Hahaha I’m amazing.)
Best moment: Virginia and Burt trying to be young was the highlight of the episode for me.
New Girl – “Eggs”
I really liked this episode. With Jess freaking out about her eggs, it seemed pretty obvious that Cece would be the one with the problem. But I liked how it was executed – funny and sensitive. Schmidt feeling insecure about his sexual prowess was hilarious – the feathers and sequins in bed? What was that? And Nick getting drunk at the zoo, for inspiration to write a zombie novel, was just classic Jake Johnson hilarity.
Best Schmidt: “Would I have to put my legs up in the stirrups? I’m asking more out of curiosity than fear. Hashtag excitement.”
Runner Jess: “What if all that’s left are the weird eggs?”
Best Winston: “You’re not a finisher. That’s why you didn’t finish law school. That’s why you’re only three episodes into Downton Abbey.”
Best Nick: “I put a word search in the novel!”
The Mindy Project – “Teen Patient”
Oh, Minds. You had to hand it to her for trying to have a mature conversation with a teenager. The scene with Mindy in the student lounge was hilarious, and I liked how it tied into Mindy’s questionable (but kind of adorable) relationship. The Betsy stuff was pretty weak, but it was worth it for the awkward scene with Mogran fessing up to letting dogs stay at the clinic. Overall, a super funny episode. I think this show is on the right track.
Best moment: “Alright, volleyball practice is over. A smart adult is giving out free advice.”
Runner up: “Oh, you’ve got to get a shower caddy. It falls on you sometimes, but it’s worth it.”
The Big Bang Theory – “The Parking Spot Escalation”
Put Sheldon in a feud, and you have a good episode of TBBT. Add a fight between Amy and Bernadette to the equation, and you’ve got a great episode. The parking spot was such a hilarious, ridiculous thing for the gang to fight over, given Sheldon’s lack of a driver’s license. But it was really about each man’s feelings of professional success, and it made for a really strong episode.
Best moment: Since Penny is so often the competitive one, I liked that she was the broken-nosed victim here.
The Office – “The Target”
The best thing The Office did this season was introduce a new challenge for Jim, and having him take another step forward with that endeavor in this episode was a smart move. It contrasted nicely to Pam’s story, as she’s a character that’s obviously also reached her potential with Dunder Mifflin but doesn’t have as clear an idea of what to do instead. And the Oscar/Angela storyline continued to make me smile and cringe. Given the lowered expectations I have for The Office, this was a decent episode.
Best moment: “Is it safe to talk?” “Well, this documentary crew has been following our every move for the last nine years, but I don’t see them so I think we’re good.”
Parks and Recreation – “Pawnee Commons”
I listen to a few NPR podcasts, so I got quite a kick out of the Parks and Rec public radio bits this week. Returning to the Pawnee vs. Eagleton gag was also hilarious. (Also: The return of DJ Roomba!) I loved the Burt Machlin stuff, and the progress Andy made in growing up the way April has. I loved the stuff with Tom’s new store, and the hilarity of Ron teaching Chris the art of woodworking. This episode had so many quotable moments, it was really hard to choose a favorite.
Best moment: In case you didn’t know, Batman is “a strong gentleman who fights crime nocturnally.”
Runner up: You’re now entering Pawnee. Good luck with that.
