Fringe Review: “Enemy of My Enemy” (Episode 4.09)
“Take me to your leader.”-David Robert Jones Many highly creative people have themes that they continue to mine over the course of their careers. Tim Burton has his daddy issues. J.J. Abrams’ hero, Steven Spielberg, is obsessed with staying a child forever. Abrams himself is apparently very taken with parallels. Timelines, universes, lives, storylines, sides of a triangle, whatever. He can’t get enough. He toyed with parallelism thematically in Alias, went full-tilt boogie with it on Lost and set off a bomb in Star Trek so big that it launched a whole new universe. That said, I thought that Lost... read more
The Firm Review "Chapter Three/Four" (Episodes 1.03/1.04)
Due to a slight mix-up, we missed reviewing last week’s The Firm. So here’s a quick recap. It turns out the rest of the series will not take place in present time. Which means the scene where Mitch is running to a hotel and meets that mysterious man and then jumps is still a, for lack of a better word, a jumping off point at some time in the future. read more
Parks and Recreation: "Campaign Ad" (4.12)
One of the things that Parks and Recreaction is great at, and that conversely few sitcoms have ever been even relatively good at, is being funny while still moving its story forward. Many of the best comedies ever made have been episodic, which is fine. The equilibrium that The Simpsons returns to makes a certain amount of sense for the show. Most sitcoms aren’t quite that extreme, but their plots either feel forced or temporary. Forward momentum can be difficult for audiences given that it often negatively affects characters.... read more
Archer Review: "The Man From Jupiter" (Episode 3.4)
When looking at the character of Sterling Archer, it is easy to see that he is mostly a heightened version of stereotypes from spy movies, most notably James Bond. While, Archer would have no problem telling you he’s a loudmouth, secret agent, heavily drinking, womanizer, he’d probably also tell you the main influence in his life is actually Burt Reynolds. So it was a brilliant idea for writer/creator Adam Reed to introduce Reynolds into the world of Archer in this third season premiere. read more
Up All Night Review: "Rivals" (Episode 1.13)
This week’s Up All Night was all about drama. It worked. Sort of. Earlier episodes of the series relied on Reagan and Chris adapting to life as parents, but this episode tries to focus on something totally unrelated to parenting. read more
Modern Family Review: "Little Bo Bleep" (Episode 3.13)
Modern Family was all over the news headlines this week, first for winning the Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical, on Sunday evening, beating other nominees New Girl, Glee, Episodes and Enlightened. read more
New Girl Review: "Story of the 50" (Episode 1.10)
When thinking back at some of my personal favorite things about _New Girl_, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Douchebag Jar, in which whenever Schmidt does something douchey, he must insert however much money the judger deems necessary for his douchey crimes. Yet looking back, this ingenious device hasn’t made an appearance since the pilot episode, a crime worthy of creating a whole new jar for the writers of _New Girl_ to place money into. read more
How I Met Your Mother Review: "46 Minutes" (Episode 7.14)
When Marshall and Lily announce they’re officially moving to Long Island, Ted laments that this is worse than when they cancelled Party of Five for the second time. Sure, the 46 minute train ride between the two How I Met Your Mother groups - the Manhattanites and the Long Islanders - doesn’t seem like too great of a distance, but what if it is? read more
Alcatraz Review: "Pilot" & "Ernest Cobb" (Episode 1.01 & 1.02)
With his latest executive production efforts, J.J. Abrams has become hit or miss. He has worked on two shows that are fantastic examples of great television with deep mythologies and intricate stories (_Lost_, _Fringe_) but also struck out with shows that become too procedural and become frustratingly mediocre (_Undercovers_, _Person of Interest_). After the first two episodes of _Alcatraz_’s series premiere, the show feels like it belongs in among the interesting Abrams shows and comes off reminiscent of early _Fringe_ episodes. read more
Shameless Review: "Summer Loving" (Episode 2.02)
More than a score of running sub plots could muddy up an hour long cable series but Shameless’ creators weave them all into a cohesive story, dodging between the comedic and the tragic. An adept cast and some slick editing have a lot to do with it. read more
Napoleon Dynamite Review: “Thundercone” & “Scantronica Love” (Episode 1.01 & 1.02)
Eight years ago, Napoleon Dynamite became the little indie hit that filled people with enough impression fodder in that small gap of time between the release of Anchorman and Borat. “Vote For Pedro” shirts became popular for a good few months and exasperated people saying “Gosh!” in their best Napoleon voices... read more
House of Lies Review: "Amsterdam" (Episode 1.02)
I still feel dirty from last week’s House of Lies. Beyond the gratuitous nudity and sit-com coincidences, the biggest problem with the pilot was its immense self-satisfaction. I’m sure nobody without confidence has ever sold a show to a network, but even with a great cast and a timely hook that first episode felt overly proud of itself. Maybe it’s an intentional reflection of how vital image is to the show’s obscenely expensive management consultants, but the pilot was insufferably smug. This slightly more relaxed second episode is an improvement, but for a show with such a charismatic cast, House... read more
Portlandia Review: "One Moore Episode" (Episode 2.02)
The Portlandia Twitterverse was ablaze on New Year’s Day when IFC gave the fans a sneak peek at the new season by releasing—not just video clips—but the show’s second episode in its entirety. After watching “One Moore Episode,” we see what the fuss was about: It’s a total geek fest-homage to Battlestar Galactica. Oh, and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Jeff Goldblum make guest appearances, too. read more
Parks and Recreation Review: "Comeback Kid" (Episode 4.11)
At the moment, Parks and Rec is my favorite comedy on television, but the first time I watched the show I didn’t like it. Actually, I refused to even give it more of a chance given what I saw in the first episode of the show and how much it irritated me. The episode was setting up a situation in which the ditsy Leslie Knope screwed up a situation and we got to watch as it imploded around her. I wasn’t interested in the dynamic. A year or so later and friends told me I needed to give the show... read more
Up All Night Review: "New Year's Eve" (Episode 1.12)
First of all, congratulation is in order to all at Up All Night. The show premiered this week in its new timeslot: the coveted last comedy of the Thursday night comedy block. Even though the show wasn’t awarded a Golden Globe nomination and was edged out by an adorable, one note freshman hit, Up All Night is a slow burning comedy for adults. read more
Modern Family Review: "Egg Drop" (Episode 3.12)
Modern Family has had an uneven third season thus far, falling into predictable paths for throwaway laughs and crafting plots that really go anywhere. (Like what was the point of last week’s trophy competition between Cam and Mitchell?) But the show finally cast off the doldrums with this week’s ‘Egg Drop”, a fast-paced, zany episode that had the Pritchett and Dunphy clans involved in various hi-jinks—and not just for cheap laughs. read more
Shameless Review: "Summertime" (Episode 2.01)
“Jesus, you really don’t remember what happened last year? Pay some fucking attention this time.”—Frank (William H. Macy), opening Season Two of Shameless.... read more
The Firm Review: "Pilot/Chapter Two" (Episodes 1.01/1.02)
The advertisements of NBC’s latest legal drama _The Firm_ plastered John Grisham’s name as the hour-long drama (well, the premiere was a two) is based off of his novel of the same name. However, the television series is a sequel to the novel and takes place a decade after the plot of Grisham’s work. read more
House of Lies Review: "The Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments" (Episode 1.01)
House of Lies wants to be as smart and smooth as its characters but comes off like a pay cable Three's Company, with unlikely coincidences, comical mix-ups and a fixation on sex. It plays down to 99% populism while salivating over the riches of the 1%. It's a smug half-hour made bearable by a strong cast and a willingness to address the economic issues that most shows (other than "Work It") ignore. It handles those issues so cynically that many might be offended, but how many pay cable protagonists are admirable or respectable, anyway? read more
Portlandia Review: “Mixology” (Episode 2.01)
Show creators, writers and actors Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag) have been all over the mainstream media plugging the sketch comedy, including a recent feature on Brownstein—as the grownup riot grrrrl—in The New York Times and a Portlandia profile in The New Yorker. The two are currently on tour together, taking a live version of the show on the road. read more
