Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
08.30 Arrested Development
09.00 Better Off Ted
09.30 The Unusuals
02.00 Barney Miller
Arrested Development. Season 2, Episode 8. "Queen for a Day" Michael buys a car, everyone in the family sells their stock in the company. Except Buster.
The stuff with Michael being indecisive about buying a new car is funny, but I fail to see how it pertains to his character. It's funny. But it's filler, isn't it?
Lucille Austero returns. She is not introduced in any way, or described as being an ex of Buster's. For fans, like me, that doesn't matter but for new viewers this is bound to be confusing. She shows up and plays a large part in the episode and (unless you've seen Season One) you won't have a clue who she is or how she fits into the bigger picture. This doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I don't think that TV should talk down to it's audience, but I hold it up as an example of how AD 'lost' the casual viewers. People tuned in, didn't understand what was happening and never came back...
Better Off Ted. Episode 11. "Father, Can You Hair Me?" Hair-growth formula, and Veronica's dad shows up.
This one really blew me away. Not only did they successfully generate laughs using a terminal illness to drive the story, but they avoid anything even remotely mawkish or sentimental and managed to end the tale on a true high note that brought a tear to the corner of my eye. It was wonderful. Simply wonderful.
Likewise, the (apparently simple) Ted-storyline ended on a very touching high point. Neither of these stories took the usual route taken by this type of story on TV. And both were hilariously funny.
As a total sidebar: I love when the show writes Veronica and Linda in a conversation. I can't think of very many shows that put women in conversations. Conversations that are friendship-driven, and have nothing to do with romance.
The Unusuals. Episode 7. "The Tape Delay" A rich guy is kidnapped, and an old guy goes on a crime spree.
Treena Hancock and Melissa R. Byer deliver a very pedestrian episode. Rich guy fakes his own kidnapping? Seen it before! Old guy on crime spree talking about living life to the full? Seen it before! Girl chastises boyfriend for stuff that happened in a dream? Seen it before! Delahoy and his 'doctor' inching towards romance? Seen it before! Or, at the very least: expected it to happen before it did.
This one didn't dazzle, even if the characters did, and - for that reason - it was disappointing.
Barney Miller. Episode 11. "Escape Artist" The guys arrest a guy who has made a reputation for breaking out of prison.
I've seen Roscoe Lee Browne in many roles, but this must be his finest. This one really impressed me. Charlie Jeffers is written/played as a very wise, very dignified man. His observations on the world are profound and it's easy to see why the guys in the squad room fall under his spell. I did.
Also in the cell is Leonard Frey as a man who says that he can fly. Both are dreamers. And the script (by Danny Arnold, Chris Hayward and Howard Leeds) knows how to write them and make them affect you.
Other stuff happens, too: Harris mentions his novel for the first time ever, and Fish gets all the best one-liners (that guy cracks me up).
But the episode belongs to Roscoe Lee Browne as Charlie Jeffers. Profound stuff.
Highlight? Barney Miller (profound stuff)
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Arrested Development, Better Off Ted, The Unusuals, Barney Miller
