Napoleon Dynamite Review: "Pedro vs. Deb" (Episode 1.4)
When it comes to character, animated television shows live and die by it. Looking at a show like _Family Guy_, character is even more important than something as integral as plot. A show like that can twist and turn and by the third act, you can’t even remember what happened in the first, but it’s the characters that keep audiences coming back. After a movie and four episodes, it would seem that _Napoleon Dynamite_ should have some form of character that can contain an episode, but still the characters remain one dimensional and not worth the time. read more
An Idiot Abroad: "Whale Watching" (2.4)
Part of the fun in An Idiot Abroad‘s second season comes from the surprising way Ricky and Stephen—or whoever it was that actually planned out Karl’s agendas—go about getting him to his bucket list destinations. The show has always enjoyed throwing random surprise hurdles in Karl’s path, but the second season seems more intent on screwing with the formula. We saw a huge twist of this last week, when they switched Karl’s “swim with the dolphins” item into swimming with sharks, but it’s an important part of the show every time out, particularly because the items Karl chose were largely... read more
Fringe Review: "Welcome to Westfield" (Episode 4.12)
The phenomenon at the start of the show is determined to be magnetic in nature, so the team scatters to look for clues. This leaves Walter open to look for pie. With Peter and Olivia in tow, they head to the nearest town which is Westfield, population 584. The town seems friendly enough until the counterman at the diner tries to kill Walter with a butcher knife. The really creepy part is that the counterman also has two irises in each eye and doesn’t seem to know where he is half the time. read more
Portlandia Review: "Cat Nap" (Episode 2.06)
Quick...how many Internet memes and bourgeois trends can you spot in this week’s episode of Portlandia? Cats. Check. Kickstarter. Check. Pitchfork and Polyphonic Spree mentions. Check and double check. (This would make a great drinking game, no?) read more
Delocated Review: "Skins" (Episode 3.02)
“Let the skins begin / my savory skins.”... read more
Archer Review: "Drift Problem" (Episode 3.7)
The more I think of this week’s episode of Archer, I realize it is somewhat of an anomaly for the series. Usually with Archer the show builds to a third act that is an excellent combination of action and comedy that Archer puts together perfectly. But with this episode, “Drift Problem”, the show starts off with a bang and a fun first act, and then quickly dissolves into the weakest episode of the third season so far. read more
Up All Night Review: "Day After Valentine's Day" (Episode 1.15)
Up All Night has had the ability to turn classic sitcom lore into something clever without ever going over the top. It’s something I’ve said before and will continue saying until this over-looked freshman comedy gets the praise it deserves. After moving to Thursday nights, the Will Arnett and Christina Applegate parent comedy still is lacking in reviews, but that doesn’t stop it from churning out highly entertaining episodes. read more
Modern Family Review: "Me? Jealous?" (Episode 3.14)
After a few weeks off, ABC’s top-rated comedy Modern Family returned this week with a Valentine’s-themed episode. Sort of. Unlike the past Valentine’s Modern Family episodes, which focused on Phil wooing Claire (remember his alter ego Clive Bixby?), this episode spread the love—and the green-eyed monster—equally among the Dunphy and Pritchett family members. read more
Justified Review: "The Devil You Know" (Episode 3.04)
Quarles only joins us for the opening scene this week, but his proposal to Devil proves to be the catalyst that turns Devil’s bubbling discontent with Boyd’s leadership into a full blown boil. By episode’s end, Boyd’s crew will be one man lighter. For Quarles, this must have seemed like a win-win (much like sending Glen Fogle after Raylan). If Boyd ends up one soldier shy, then great. If Devil succeeds, all the better. As Quarles so eloquently yells, “Give me a goddamned amen.” read more
New Girl Review: "The Landlord" Episode 1.12)
While it has seemed like Nick and Jess have been predetermined to end up together at some point in New Girl, it is less because they are the show’s two main stars, but rather that they are two opposite ends of the spectrum. In “The Landlord”, Jess is the girl who can turn around the angry driver with a gun with only a smile and for the second episode in a row, uses cupcakes as a friendly tool to get others to help her. Simply put, she sees the world with rose colored glasses on, even as a child accepting candy from a stranger in a van, which for once in the world, turned out to be a good thing as he brought his grandmother along to hand out the sweets. On the other hand, Nick’s viewpoint is that people are the worst. Stemmed from a childhood where a man once stole $5 from him and ran away, Nick believes that man does not have the best intentions. New Girl may seem like the wrong format to debate the inherent good or evil in man, but with “The Landlord”, Jess and Nick take on their ideals in an awkward, and hilarious battle, to see who is right. read more
Smash Review: "Pilot" (Episode 1.01)
The series, about all of the aspects surrounding a new musical about Marilyn Monroe, is going to draw hefty comparisons to the only other successful musical series on television. Whether it’s a preconceived idea, like I had, or because it warrants the links because it’s a musical, the comparisons will continue to fall into place until Smash proves it’s different. read more
Alcatraz Review: "Guy Hastings" (Episode 1.05)
In Alcatraz’s premiere, we were given a look at how Rebecca Madsen’s life seemed to be intertwined with the inhabitants of Alcatraz. Her grandfather Tommy was imprisoned for killing her grandmother and the man that played a sort of adopted uncle to her, Ray, was a guard at the prison. We haven’t seen these two men in the present since the first episode, but in “Guy Hastings”, we are given a deeper look at how Madsen’s family tree links to the mystery of people from the past showing up in the future. read more
How I Met Your Mother Review: "The Burning Beekeeper" (Episode 7.15)
How I Met Your Mother has only had two episodes since the New Year, but they were pretty top notch. This week the show returned after a few weeks off with a concept episode similar to the early era of the show. This week, “The Burning Beekeeper” sets up the premise that everything that goes wrong and Marshall and Lily’s housewarming party occur within a five minute timeframe. So Future Ted decides to take a nonlinear approach (go figure) and tell the story one room at a time. read more
Delocated Review: "Lipples" (Episode 3.01)
People don’t believe me when I tell them that Delocated‘s second season was one of the best shows of 2010. They see the Adult Swim logo and Jon Glaser in his black skimask and just write it off as either stoner nonsense or “too cool for school” anticomedy for hipsters (as if that word has any meaning). It’s their loss; you don’t have to be a student or a 4Chan creep to dig this show. Delocated offers the sly absurdity of alternative comedy in a somewhat traditional sit-com package that won’t scare away viewers who think Tim and Eric or... read more
Shameless Review: "Father’s Day" (Episode 2.05)
Under the category of “things we don’t really notice” is the set and costume design for a television series. In this, Shameless does impeccable work. From an upscale garden wedding to the dried vomit on Frank’s shirt, the show’s backdrop and fashion sense serve as the perfect palette for the Gallagher family’s never-dull lifestyle. read more
Luck Review: "Episode 2" (Episode 1.02)
Bitch, and ye shall receive: Where Luck’s pilot lacked astoundingly in character development, the following episode compensated by cutting the horseshit—except for one (amazing) scene. The episode opens with Ace (Dustin Hoffman) bristling at his new reality in which he must micturate (take that, van Alden!) into a cup in the presence of a familiar-looking, jowly black gentleman. His “shy kidneys,” as Mr. Jowls puts it, remind us that Ace, despite his name and jail time, is only half a criminal. This split presents a conflict that could blossom into a compelling character arc (à la Nucky Thompson), or the... read more
An Idiot Abroad: "Swim with Dolphins" (2.3)
One of the things that An Idiot Abroad has always struggled with is giving the show a storyline. It’s one of those problems of “reality” television that, while we wish for events to transpire onscreen in the same way that they actually happened, as humans we also want to watch a story rather than a series of largely unconnected events. Travelogues don’t really have a story, so An Idiot Abroad gives us one in two different ways. The more simple of these is by setting it up so that Karl has to cross through multiple hurdles every week before he... read more
House of Lies Review: "Utah" (Episode 1.05)
Every episode of House of Lies ends with an ad for mobile apps that let you watch upcoming scenes on your tablet or cellphone. Who likes this show enough to download something like that? That’s more embarrassing than downloading one of those fart sound or zit-popping apps.... read more
Fringe Review: "Making Angels" (Episode 4.11)
Two weeks ago I gave kudos to John Noble for his nuanced performances as the many versions of Walter Bishop and I stand by that appraisal. That said, tonight’s episode of Fringe raised an interesting question: Who is the more valuable player, the consistent frontman or the durable background actor who makes every moment of limited exposure count? I don’t know the answer to that question (and could argue both sides), but Jasika Nicole makes a very strong case for the value of quality supporting characters. Nicole has played Astrid Farnsworth since the pilot but has never been put in the spotlight until tonight. read more
Portlandia Review: "Cops Redesign" (Episode 2.05)
Portlandia, IFC’s sketch comedy show that stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, continues to keep things fresh each week when tackling the same subject matter: the ups and downs of hipster living. The latest episode, “Cops Redesign,” threw in a few surprises—a music video and an animation segment, among them—keeping the audience on its toes. read more
