Friday, April 25th, 2008
10:00 30 Rock
10:30 Scrubs
11:00 Sheep In The Big City
11:30 The Big Bang Theory
30 Rock. Season 2, Episode 11 highlights the show's three greatest characters: Liz (how I love Liz Lemon!), Jack and Kenneth. Liz, you see, has done something bad. It affects Jack. Jack is angry. And Kenneth is the only one who knows that Liz is responsible. And it's pure comedy all the way. Liz (how I love Liz Lemon!) is mean to poor Kenneth. Very mean. The meaner she was the more I laughed. She called him an "Apple Faced Goon" at one stage and it's the funniest insult I've ever heard.
Scrubs. Season 6, Episode 20. Continuity-strong outing for the staff of Sacred Heart. JD's newly awakened feelings for Elliot are sent into a major nose-dive when his most recent ex appears and he discovers that she lied to him about the miscarriage. Yes, it's a funny episode. But it's also a very emotional one, as both JD and Elliot have cause to wonder about their feelings.
Sheep In The Big City. Episode 4. It's a really daft idea, but as The Narrator says: "Just go with it!" Sheep swallows the world's most expensive diamond and then spends a year living on a ring, on a wealthy woman's hand. Goofy in the extreme, with a lot of good gags. My favourite bit was probably the scenes with the security guards who wanted to play catch with the diamond. And there's a wonderful bit where a random guy stops to read a sign out loud (which nicely facilitates the plot).
The Big Bang Theory. Episode 10. Such a simple idea, such a clever script. Leonard's tells a white lie to Penny. Sheldon is unimpressed with the lie, and replaces it with a much more complex one. A lie that spirals and spirals until Sheldon has to hire someone to act out part of it. I was really impressed with this episode. It's very, very funny. And the whole thing is driven by the characters and how they behave.
Highlight? 30 Rock
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
30 Rock, Scrubs, Sheep In The Big City, The Big Bang Theory
Supernatural, Seinfeld, Sheep In The Big City
Sun, Apr 13th, 2008
07:30 Supernatural
08:30 Seinfeld
12:00 Sheep In The Big City
Supernatural. Episode 16. Wow. Best episode so far (of course I say that a lot) and one of the best episodes of anything. This one kicked ass. Eric Kripke writes a great script. My favourite scene occurs just after the boys meet Meg in the bar. Sam immediately knows that something is wrong, while Dean just wants to discuss what Sam told Meg about him. It's a great scene. It advances the plot at rapid pace and adds more layers to the characters of the brothers. Another great scene occurs later on when Dean explains how much he wants the family back together. It's suprb writing. And superb acting.
Then there's Nicki Aycox. I normally don't go ga-ga over blondes on TV, but maybe it's because her character's so utterly evil (and, therefore, reminds me of my real life girlfriends... Ha Ha, a joke obviously) or something. But she is a fantastic foe for the boys. Her smile when she had them tied up (and she talked about Hell) was chilling.
And, finally, their dad shows up. The reunion is both emotional and thrilling. When things went bad, and it looked as if he was going to die, I realised how much I cared about these characters and their quest.
Awesome show.
Seinfeld. Season 9, Episode 12. I watched the fur coat episode again. So so funny. My favourite scene occurs in the coffee shop. Elaine explains why she shouldn't be held responsible for the fur coat she threw out the window. Jerry and George are very confused, but the convolute logic makes perfect sense to Elaine. Brillaint.
Sheep In The Big City. Episode 3. Another wonderful mix of the juvenile and the very, very clever. Some of these gags remind me of jokes I used in comics I wrote/drew when I was 8. Seriously. Others are so clever they almost go over my head. Well, not really, but you get my point. This is a crazy show. But it makes me laugh. This is the episode where Sheep meets Lisa Rental and is held captive for most of the episode. Until man wearing diapers aids his escape. Um...
Supernatural, Kyle XY, Seinfeld, Sheep In The Big City
Sun, Apr 6th, 2008
06:30 Supernatural
07:30 Kyle XY
08:30 Seinfeld
12:00 Sheep In The Big City
Supernatural. Episode 15. Not being knowledgeable about Supernatural fandom I have no idea how this episode is perceived, but I loved it. Loved it! What a brilliant way to wrongfoot the viewer. An episode of Supernatural where nothing supernatural occurs. And not just any episode: an action-packed, creepy episode with great acting, great character-work and great guest stars. Sam and Dean are seperated when one of them is kidnapped by backwoods weirdos. (Yes, that's a bit of TV cliché but who cares, when the results are this good?) By taking on non-supernatural foes the series opens itself up even more. Wow. Not that it needed it.
Now where can I read Supernatural reviews from Season one?
Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 6. A mixed bag. A lot of this episode is devoted to Josh and his awkward romance with Andy. She's a kooky girl. And the actress totally fails to pull it off. It doesn't work. And it's painful to watch. (If you want to see this kind of role done right check out the girl on The Crow, she's awesome.) It's a pity that this plot drags the episode down so much, because the stuff that happens to Kyle is fantastic. He finds new powers (he can "walk around" in his own memories) and gets a message from his creator/father. This leads to the story's stunning final revelation and a warning to Kyle not to trust one of his closest allies. Awesome twist.
Seinfeld. Season 9, Episode 11. Most episodes of Seinfeld scatter the characters off into four different plotlines (and try and criss-cross the plots in the final scene) and a few episodes merely dump the four characters into one special setting and watch what happens. This is one of those. Jerry is buying a car, and his three friends tag along: George with his insane paranoia, Elaine with her on-again, off-again boyfriend and Kramer with... whatever oddness he can conjure up. It's a very funny episode, with the Kramer plotline being a personal favourite of mine (he 'kidnaps' a salesman and they endeavour to find out how far a car can drive on "Empty".)
Sheep In The Big City. Episode 2 continutes the trend for mixing juvenile jokes with sophisticated humour. And it works. Sheep is still hiding out in the big city, moving from job to job. The bad guy has forgotten why he is chasing Sheep and has to refer - at one point - to the Pilot Script (!!). Sheep falls in love, which makes the Narrator very happy indeed, and the whole things ends with a mad chase through a warehouse of search lights and random fog (where everyone's sillouette's start to resemble other famous cartoon characters). Ah, bliss.
Highlight? Supernatural.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast.
Seinfeld, Sheep In The Big City
Wed, April 2nd, 2008
11:00 Seinfeld
11:30 Sheep In The Big City
Seinfeld. Season 9, Episode 9. All the big laughs in this one, for me, come in the Elaine storyline. She is dealing with a co-worker who hates germs and thinks Elaine is dirty. "She's only staying home because I rubbed her keyboard all over my butt. Yeah! She's crazy."
Sheep In The Big City. Episode 1. This (wonderful) show is a curious mixture. Some of the gags are juvenile, and some are sophisticated. It's hard to pin it down, but it is very, very funny. The opening story finds Sheep living out a perfect life on the farm before the military come calling and he has to go in the lamb (so to speak). Best bit? When the Narrator starts to pick at the logic of the storyline. I also love the sequence where Sheep finds employment as a telemarketer and does are a great job, despite being unable to speak. "Hello? Hello? Who is this? Is this someone trying to sell me a pre-paid credit card? Ok! I'll take two."
