This week:
- Cougar Town
- The Big Bang Theory
- Community
- Parks and Recreation
- The Office
Cougar Town – “You Tell Me”
Hey, remember that time Andy ran for mayor? He’s the mayor now. This was an OK episode of Cougar Town, even if it played on some familiar beats of Jules being a more intense friend than the rest of the gang. The portion of the episode set in a Target store played a little awkwardly at points, but you know, they’ve all gotsta get paid.
Best moment: “You know she hit me with a frying pan yesterday? Luckily, I worked at an IHOP in Tampa for six months, so I know how to take it.”
The Big Bang Theory – “The Closet Reconfiguration”
I really liked this episode of TBBT. On the surface, it looked like it would just be about the gang growing up – Howard and Bernadette had a nice dinner party, so then Leonard and Penny followed suit with a fancy cocktail party. But the episode did a nice job of balancing funny and serious – Sheldon came across a letter from Howard’s dad while organizing his closet, and through wheedling and gossip soon everyone in the group but Howard knew what the letter said. Their solution – everyone telling Howard what might have been in the card so that he could know and never know – was a little bizarre, and I would need to know. But it made for some really touching moments.
Best moment: Penny trying to take partial credit for Sheldon’s idea. “It was really the elephant in the room.”
Community – “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking”
When the episode opened with a definition of “Changnesia”, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be for me. Once again, I felt like the writers were trying to duplicate previous episodes. The documentary film-style episode has been done, as well as the mystery aspect. It was interesting to watch the material Pierce was given in this episode, given the discontent Chevy Chase voiced when he left the show. Overall, I didn’t think the jokes in this episode landed and the storyline really didn’t do it for me. When it was revealed at the end that, yes, Chang is faking, I’d really had it. I didn’t enjoy this episode at all.
Parks and Recreation – “Bailout”
I had some technical difficulties on Thursday night, and WordPress didn’t save the last half of this blog post – so I’m going to keep this brief. I really loved this episode, and considering how I felt about The Office and Community this week, it was a much needed breath of fresh air. I particularly enjoyed how the show continues to maintain the ability to bring laughs and comment on larger political issues. Libertarian Ron ended up being right this week, and the show manages to accomplish that without coming across as cynical. That’s impressive.
Best moments: Ann, April and Donna singing “Time After Time” (I want a full length version on Tumblr ASAP), Ron giggling at the government-funded porn shop, and Perd Hapley giving E.T. one and a half stars because it “wasn’t believable”.
The Office – “The Farm”
This time I’m not being brief because of technical difficulties, but because I hated this episode. I didn’t laugh once. I never would have watched a Schrute Farms spinoff, and that plot bored me to tears. I’ve always hated the character of Packer, so that storyline just rubbed me the wrong way.
