Wings 4.10 Christmas episode ending with a very solid comedic...

Wings 4.10

Christmas episode ending with a very solid comedic situation: mistaken identity.

• The friendship of the three main characters nicely underscores the story here. The plot revolves around a sick old lady from the local video store, but while all that is happening we are reminded - again - that Brian, Joe and Helen are an inseparable trio, and have been that way for many years.
  
• In the final minutes, Joe is mistaken for a friend of the sick old lady. He was actually the one the one that got her fired from her job!. There’s no major pay-off but it’s a lovely comedic situation, and they milk it very well using various Christmas tropes.
  

8/10

Wings 4.17

Wings 4.16

Mary Woronov. Continues the story, but doesn’t really add much to it. Nice scenes between Helen and the boys. Again. Really, this one probably didn’t need a ‘Part 2′. 7/10

Wings 4.15

What a great story, showing the close bond between the three main characters. Perfect that it was Brian, not Joe, who suggested the gift for Helen. Does wonders for his character, and leads to a couple of funny scenes between the brothers.
The b-story is also very enjoyable, showing a great sense of camaraderie as all the other characters try out together for parts in a play. There are a couple of funny scenes here, too, but mainly there’s a great sense of friendship between the gang working at the airport. 8/10

Wings 4.14

Playboy. Slim story, with an odd pairing of characters. The only real laughs are when Joe and Brian come back. 5/10

Wings 4.13

Lisa Edelstein. One-joke episode episode, with Antonio giving Lowell some bad negotiation advice. Over and over and over. With minimal pay off.

It’s cool to see Edelstein, in an early role.

6/10

Wings 4.12

Beau Starr . Starts off slow, but gets better as it goes on. Second half is very funny and the twist at the end is clever and delightful. 9/10

Wings 4.11

Steven Eckholdt . Episode puts Crystal Bernard in the spotlight. Very funny. Great cast chemistry between the leads. First time in ages the show has gone to the well of the Joe/Helen relationship to generate laughs. 9/10

Wings 4.9

A playful, fun episode making great use of cast chemistry. Farrah Forke is too sexy for words! 9/10

Wings 4.8

Teri Austin . Absolutely wonderful. I knew a woman just like this, so I guess I’m biased, but this REALLY works as a story, and it does wonders for the Brian character (who can sometimes come across as just a joke).

Some of the episodes biggest laughs come from Lowell and Roy. 10/10

Wings 4.7

Puts a neat twist on the old ‘odd couple’ scenario, when Lowell moves in with the boys. And they like it. A lot. Many quality laughs in the second half. 6/10

Wings 4.6

Tracey Walter, Farrah Forke . Hilarious from start to finish. A delight. The regulars are in top form and every scene generates laugh upon laugh. 10/10

Wings 4.5

Pairing Helen and Lowell works really well, because they find unexpected things to do with the characters. 7/10

Wings 4.4

A Roy-centric episode with a few good laughs along the way. Mostly from Lowell. As usual the ensemble scenes are the most fun. 6/10

Wings 4.3

Scott Grimes. Love the scene where the four guys sit around and talk about handsome men. Very funny. 7/10

Wings 3.13

Wedding. Huge improvement over part one. It’s hilariously funny, and the ending is rather sweet. 9/10

Wings 3.14

(Fay quits) Not many laughs, but the flashback showing the origin of Sandpiper Air is interesting. 5/10

Wings. Season 3, Episode 4. "I Ain't Got No Bunny"

Wings. Season 3, Episode 4. "I Ain't Got No Bunny" Laura Innes

After three episode of Joe/Helen angst, the show changes tone and offers us some... Lowell/Bunny angst! We've never met Bunny before, but we're often heard her mentioned, and in this episode we learn that she's SERIOUSLY unfaithful to Lowell and their marriage is in serious trouble.

Laura Innes is lots of fun as the horny Bunny, and the funniest scene is Brian's attempt to talk sense into her, wherein she wrestles him onto the nearest desk and and leaps on top of him. Indeed most of the big laughs come from watching Steven Weber with Tim Daly. These guys have chemistry/timing to burn.

Tony Shalhoub, however, steals the episode from everybody. He only has two short scenes and the second one has almost no dialogue but it's a laugh riot.

All in all, a solid episode.

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Z Rock, Law And Order, Wings

Monday, September 28th, 2009

05.30 Z Rock
06.00 Law And Order
02.00 Wings

Z Rock. Season 2, Episode 2. Two of the guys meet and date two women.

Another easy-going and likable outing for the guys. Some of the best episodes from the first season were plot-driven, but at it's heart this is a very laid-back series about a bunch of normal guys. This episode illustrates this side of the show to perfection. The guy's are getting back into the rhythm of rehearsals when two of them meet two women and start dating, which puts a minor indent in the time allotted for rehearsing. By the end of the episode both new relationships have reached their logical end without anything overly-dramatic happening. And there's been a few laughs along the way.

An easy-going and dependable show. The guys and likable and the show never delivers a weak episode.

Law And Order. Season 19, Episode 15. "Bailout" Kidnapping of a rich guy's mistress.

I love when they lose! Not because I like to see Michael Cutter taking a beating (I don't, he's one of my favourite TV heroes right now) but because it makes for a better story and because it makes the show better overall.

In this episode there is a great point to be made by having the jury vote the guy "innocent" and it's powerful. The jurors seem to by-pass the death of the girl and see the case in terms of a poor guy going up against a rich guy. Interesting outcome. Unpredictable.

Wings. Season 3, Episode 1. "The Naked Truth" Ten months later...

The show does a wonderful job of re-booting the Joe and Helen romance. Ten months have gone by and Helen is unhappy in New York. So, with help from Joe and Brian, she returns to Nantucket and finds that Joe is now in a serious relationship with someone else...

Helen's (over)reaction doesn't make a lot of sense, really, since she was the one to leave Joe, but it makes for some very funny TV.

And, from the writers/producers perspective it allows them to generate a lot of story material for Season Three that they could never do with Joe and Helen as a happy couple.

Highlight? Law And Order (I love when they lose)
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Arrested Development, Wings

Monday, September 21st, 2009

05.00 Arrested Development
01.00 Wings

Arrested Development. Season 3, Episode 3. "Forget-Me-Now"

One of the best episodes. Many, many great moments.

Bob Loblaw is one of the show's best jokes.

Tobias as an Analrapist is one of the show's best jokes.

And Gob taking the forget me now pill at the end is a moment of inspired lunacy. His heartfelt declaration makes no sense, really, and it is very, very funny.

Wings. Season 2, Episode 22. "Duet for Plane and Cello" Helen leaves.

The slapstick-comedy messy-fight doesn't really seem much like Joe and Helen. It seems more like something Sam and Diane would have gotten into, over on Cheers, but it's amusing to watch. Even if it's hard to believe that meek and quiet Joe would behave quite like that.

The final minute is superb, however, as Helen says good-bye and both characters declare their love for one another.

Highlight? Arrested Development (Bob Loblaw)
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