05.30 30 Rock
06.00 Raising The Bar
07.00 Law And Order
08.00 House
12.00 Wings
30 Rock. Season 3, Episode 9. "Retreat To Move Forward" Jack takes Liz to a retreat with him.
And what a huge mistake that turns out to be. Except, of course, in the end he learns that she is a true friend. It's one of those 30 Rock episodes that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling deep inside. And, though it could go wrong in a million ways, the script/cast makes it work.
"I can't believe you did that for me," says Jack at the end. "That's what friends do," replies Liz. And it works. Wow. How do the pull it off?
Think about it. How many bad sit-coms have tried that sort of guff? Heck, how many pretty good sit-coms (and non-sit-coms) are tried to make stories/lines like that work. And it almost never does.
On 30 Rock they make it work. Why? Great casting helps. But, ultimately, it has to do with Tina Fey and her writing/performing. Tami Sagher actually wrote the episode but Fey is the driving force behind this show and she - I feel - knows how to find the truth behind all the comedy. So, while this is a very funny episode, it's really about the strains that can be put on a friendship. The beats of good comedy are everywhere in the story, and so are the beats of real life feelings. Sure, it's blown up and made crazy to make us laugh, but - behind it all - the writers haven't lost sight of the story they are really telling.
That's why, when it reaches the very end, the show is able to sell us goofy lines and make us smile warmly. It's a great show, and the Jack-Liz friendship is one of all-time greatest ever shown on TV.
Raising The Bar. Episode 7. "A Leg to Stand On" Jerry opts out of jury trial because he thinks the judge is on his side. He is. But Trudy takes a message to the judge, forcing him to change his mind.
Another superb storyline of the sort that this show does so well, showing us what goes on behind the legal system. The political wrangling and so on. It doesn't do this every week but, when it adds this to the story in play, it makes for a much better episode. Also, now that the show has establish that innocent people can go to jail (or die) in the stories, the stakes are much higher.
Having said that, the non-Jerry plots are rather pedestrian this time out. Bobbi is helping a drug addict, and Richard is helping a burlesque dancer. The drug guy is yawnsworthy and the dancer is relegated to two scenes. Which is a pity. It's refreshing to see a strong, confident woman being sexual and not being apologetic about it and not being judged (by the script) because of it. In fact, there's not much story here. But what little there was, was pretty interesting. Maybe we'll see her again. Richard could start to date her, or something, and get over this going-nowhere crush he has on his boss. We'll see...
What made this episode good was the Jerry stuff. His passion, his client's story, the judge's plight, etc. All of it was good. And, to the show's the credit, this is a spin on legal stories that I've not seen before. I watch this show every week to see that twist on things and I watch it to see Jerry get passionate about his clients. I like this guy a lot.
The prosecutors (who, on this show, are always wrong) are no fun any more. They are all evil and the show seems to want it left at that. Fair enough. I like Jerry, Bobbi, Richard and their boss. So I'm fine with that. That is enough characters to care about.
Trudy is fairly 'evil', too. But, at least, there are shades of interest to her. I still think she'd be a great romantic interest for Jerry...
Law And Order. Season 19, Episode 4. "Falling" Mike tries to stop a couple sending their child for an operation.
Law And Order often starts off with one type of story and seques into a different one. Sometimes the stories blend. And sometimes they have no connection. In episodes where there is no real connection between the stories they usually manage to maintain a coherent tone and narrative. And it works just fine. Not this time. This one is a mess. It starts with a crane collapsing, and moves on to petty thefts at the construction site, leading to a bungled murder attempt between two woman over an affair, which turns out to be connected to the welfare of a child, which leads to an ethical debate between Mike and Jack.
And I was bored by most of it. What's happened to Jack's feud with the Governor? And isn't Mike secretly in love with Connie, when are we going to see more scenes between them reflecting that?
House. Season 5, Episode 12. "Painless" A man is sick, House is cranky but manages to save the day, though all appears lost...
Yawn. Mediocre case-of-the-week outing. The monotony is broken somewhat by House's problems with is shower at home but that ultimately amounts to nothing and appears to have been a waste of time.
Cuddy is struggling with the baby she has fostered, but I don't care...
Wings. Season 2, Episode 9. "Friends or Lovers?" Joe and Helen go on a date.
Delightful and hilarious. Everything that happens stems from the characters and their situation. There are some wonderful lines, especially when Helen coaches Joe as to what to say to her to ask her out. He makes a damn fine attempt, poor guy, but he doesn't quite manage to say everything exactly the way she wanted.
Fuelled by the considerable chemistry between the characters/actors and driven by the very real emotions of lonliness that they are feeling, this is a truly classic and wonderful episode. The ending, too, is one the show's best ever: Joe and Helen are alone in his car for a make-out session, but the hilarious twist in the final seconds is that they are not quite alone after all...
Highlight? Wings (Joe and Helen go on a date)
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Mon, Jan 26, 09 - 30 Rock, Raising The Bar, Law And Order, House, Wings
