05.30 30 Rock
06.00 The Jury
07.00 Law And Order
09.00 House
10.00 Wings
30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 4. "Gavin Volure" Steve Martin guests in a hilarious outing. It's hard to pick highlights when every minute of the episode yielded about two, but I particularly loved Liz's idea of a relationship (basically lots of TV watching and 'no funny stuff'). The Tracy story was a winner, too, but the absolute highlight of the episode was Kenneth performing street theatre. That, alone, makes this episode of my favourites.
The Jury. Episode 2. "The Honeymoon Suite" The case is very interesting (was it a double suicide gone wrong? Or did the man shoot the woman in a lover's tiff?) and the drama in the jury room is more involving than usual. An arrogant lawyer (a superb Neal Jones) has smuggled a phone in, and is more concerned with his own corporate law practice than in any murder case. Even one that he happens to be a juror on! He's arrogant and hard to like and you wait for him to get his commuppance.
But it never happens...
As time wears on and the jury loses focus, he is the one to take charge and bring things under control. He starts off a jerk but he ends up as the hero. Not by having any great belief in one side or the other, but merely by being very, very good at getting people to focus on what is important.
Law And Order. Season 18, Episode 17. "Personae Non Grata" Law And Order normally doesn't make me laugh, but this episode had me laughing out loud all the way through. Why? Partly because the events of the story are so absurd and partly because the guest stars are fantastic.
A middle-aged (and very ordinary) married man masquerades online as a tough young marine and enters into an online romance with a hot teenage babe. Who isn't... Nope! Turns out that it's just her mom. Her shallow, pathetic mom using sexy pictures of her own daughter to meet and con men online. Yes there is more to it, involving a couple of murders, but that is the core of the story this week. And it is a hoot from start to finish. I loved it.
Casting was amazing. Melissa Leo owns the episode from start to finish. She's amazing. She's always amazing. I love her work. From Homicide to Veronica Mars, I have always loved what this lady can do with a role. Her opposite number in this tale is Barry Del Sherman. He's hilarious. His character cannot grasp the reality of the situation at all. And still refuses (quite late in the story) to believe that the mother wrote the e-mails to him, not the daughter. His determination to remain deluded is fascinating, tragic and... very, very funny.
House. Season 5, Episode 7. "The Itch" A major change of pace.
Jennifer Morrison takes centre stage. And she's wonderful. Cameron seems more mature now. Much more of a grown woman, somehow. Like someone who could be House's equal in a relationship. Over the years, I've changed my mind a lot about House and Cameron as a couple. Sometimes I wanted them together. Other times: I couldn't see it working because she was/is just too young and fragile for someone as tough and mean as Greg House. But this episode made me rethink her. She's very tough in this one. And I like it. And I like having her in every scene. It's about time Cameron and Chase were brought back onto the show.
The case-of-the-week takes place in the patients home because he can't go out into the outside world. That's novel. And cool.
And House is genuinely lovesick over his feelings for (and kiss with) Cuddy in the previous episode. I honestly thought House was faking the whole thing to take her mind off the baby fiasco, but the final scene (of him standing on her doorstep) has me convinced.
Wings. Season 2, Episode 4. "Sports & Leisure" The gang play Trivial Pursuit at the end of this episode and it's very, very funny. All of the characters are perfectly defined on this show. And each one can generate any number of laughs. Pairing Roy and Lowell in the same team was genius. Lowell finds a reason to believe that "Ann-Margret" is a possible answer to every question and watching Roy cope with this insanity is classic television. He finally flips. And changes teams. To find himself faced with a question where "Ann-Margret" is the actual answer.
Highlight? Law And Order (very, very funny)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Mon, Dec 8, 08 - 30 Rock, The Jury, Law & Order, House, Wings
