05.30 Pushing Daisies
06.30 Valentine
07.30 Supernatural
10.30 The Office
11.00 Corner Gas
11.30 Friday Night Lights
12.30 Friday Night Lights
01.30 Friday Night Lights
Pushing Daisies. Season 2, Episode 5. "Dim Sum Lose Some" Another wonderful case for Emerson Cod (one of TV's coolest detectives). Chi McBride is so funny. He's got the comic timing of Oliver Hardy and pairing him with Christine Adams makes for some great comedy. McBride and Kristin Chenoweth are the reason I watch this show. If Cod or Olive were written out the show would suffer, but you could nix Ned and Chuck and you'd still have a cool show. Funny how things work out. I'd never have predicted that at the start.
Valentine. Episode 4. "The Book of Love" For the second week in a row the case-of-the-week is very good. A couple of book-lovers sell out on their dreams and get divorced. Our team enter the story and try to bring them back together. David Burke and Seana Kofoed are two wonderful guest stars and I fell in love with their love story. Nice work from series regular Autumn Reeser in this one. Goofy, sweet fun.
Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 17. "Heart" Great performances, but a story that veers too close to silly for comfort. Emmanuelle Vaugier makes a great guest star, but her romance with Sam happens way too fast and the 'emotional' climax left me closer to laughter than tears. It just seemed too absurd for me to buy into. Plus, we'd already seen that it was possible to contain her when she became a werewolf, so killing her at the end seems a tad unnecessary. It's also the exact premise of She-Wolf Of London and they found a way to make it work on that show. Call me a heartless bastard, but I think this is a low-point for Supernatural.
The Office. Season 5, Episode 5. "Employee Transfer" Nothing special. I feel like they missed out an episode along the way. Suddenly, Holly has to move to a new office and - just like that - the relationship with Michael is over.
Huh?
Did we miss an episode, somewhere, where they discuss this? And deal with it? Seems way too fast to me.
And the storyline with Jim and Pam and his brothers yields very few laughs, as well.
I'm bummed that Holly broke up with Michael, yes, but this is just a weak episode no matter what happens/happened in it.
Corner Gas. Season 3, Episode 5. "Whiner Takes All" Wonderful. Not only is this a very funny show, but it has created this wonderful place - called Dog River - where the people like each other and enjoy hanging out. That's a huge part of the reason I love this show, and it's characters so so much. Brent, Lacey and Hank spend this episode playing golf together. On some shows this sudden joint activity would come across as something contrived just for the sake of that week's episode. Not on Corner Gas. On this show, I believe it. These characters like one another and want to hang out together.
Friday Night Lights. Season 2, Episode 6. "How Did I Get Here" Almost perfect. Almost perfect. The fly in the ointment was the storyline with Tami and her sister. We've seen it a hundred times before: women don't get on with their sisters. Yada, yada. Fine, whatever. Everything else was golden.
Tim being cut from the team, seeing that his worth was defined by his membership in the team. Finally reaching out to help the new kid - Lyla's friend - at the very end. His conversation with Smash over the dinner table. Golden.
Jason Street's looking at his life and where it was going. And his decision to leave the team and his final conversation with Coach. Golden.
Landry and his father. Wow. Powerful. As his father realised the truth and set about covering up the crime in an effort to save his son from going to prison. Totally human and honest.
Julie seeing Matt with another woman. Very, very predictable. But I really felt for poor Julie. Through all her horrible behaviour the writing allowed us to feel for her. And I felt for her here, too. She's friends with Tyra. And Jason bonded with Tyra in one memorable episiode in the firs season. What do they have in common? They are the only three characters who have expressed the desire to find out what there is outside of Dillon, Texas. The only ones who - at one stage or another - have thought to ask: is there more to life than this?
I loved all the stuff with Coach and Buddy - as they discussed his reduced salary - because it captured something very close to real life in those scenes.
It maybe have disapointed me (by giving Tami a duff storyline and ignoring Tyra's feeling in the aftermath of the break-up with Landry) but this was still one of the show's best episodes. Very, very close to perfect.
Almost perfect.
Friday Night Lights. Season 2, Episode 7. "Pantherama!" Smash steps into the spotlight. Finally. Smash is one of my favourite characters. Who am I kidding? They are all one of my favourite characters. But I've been waiting, this season, for a Smash-centric episode. This one is great. Most of it is Smash fighting with his mother over his future. And, in true FNL style, it's not important that it's about football. It's the age-old struggle between parent and child over future. Where the child's optimism is seen as arrogance and the parent's concern is seen as negativity. Wonderful story, wonderfully told.
Santiago has become one of my favourite characters. His exchange with Buddy at the very end (where he said that this was his first bed) was heartbreaking. Under-played by both actors and totally heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, Tim Riggins can't find a bed. Tyra takes him in, but ultimately kicks him out and he finds himself is a less-than-ideal situation. Riggins is in freefall and I feel for him. I see no end in sight.
Matt kisses the girl who looks after his grandmother. It was a long time coming, but it was a great moment. And it makes more sense that Matt would fall for a girl like that, rather than the vapid cheerleader he's been kissing lately.
Julie, meanwhile, falls for the journalist teacher. Bit of a cliché... but it basically works.
We get a good Tyra/Landry scene in this episode but no sign of them getting back together. Frak! Frak! Frak!
Friday Night Lights. Season 2, Episode 8. "Seeing Other People" I love when shows pairs characters together that do not normally share screen time. Lyla and Landry have a pivotal conversation in this episode. The guilt of the crime he committed bears heavy on him and (without knowing the details) Lyla urges him to come clean, and tell the truth. It's a great scene.
So is the scene where Tim Riggins apologises to everyone on the team. It's a suprise move and it works. Coach agrees to let him back. Tim has hit rock bottom and seen life without the team. It's pretty bleak. Has he learned his lesson or will he mess it all up again?
Matt breaks up with his girlfriend and - finally - gets things started with the girl who looks after his grandmother. The screen positively sizzles with their chemistry.
Finanlly, this ia a rare episode that shows Tami in an unflattering light. Going too far to protect her daughter from a friendly teacher. Tami rarely makes mistakes, but she steps over the line in this one and the big confrontation scene with her daughter is painful.
An honest episode. A perfect episode.
Highlight? Friday Night Lights (pick one, any one)
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Sun, Nov 2, 08 - Pushing Daisies, Valentine, Supernatural, Office, Corner Gas, Friday Night Lights
