Monday, October 5th, 2009
05.30 Z Rock
06.00 Law And Order
07.00 The Middle
11.30 Arrested Development
Z Rock. Season 2, Episode 3. Opening for KISS.
Last week's episode was easy-going and laid-back. This week's (enjoyable) outing maintained a lot of that charm, but was much more obviously plot-driven. Paulie's latest romance was much more only-in-a-sitcom. But not in a bad way. He meets a hot girl who insists that he join her in a threesome. Of course, there's a twist in the final scene (and it feeds into one of the show's running gags).
Other stuff, too, was more plot-driven this week with the guys rushing to a last-minute gig and finding out that it wasn't quite what they had been told.
All in all, this was a different tone of episode, but still very enjoyable.
Law And Order. Season 19, Episode 16. "Take-Out" Keith Carradine as a spy in prison.
At it's core, this was the story of a family and a tragedy driven by secrets and lies. Great performances and nice twists and turns made it enjoyable.
Also of note: a gun battle for Lupo and Bernard. A short one, yes, but still a rarity on L&O. Interesting to watch Lupo's face just after the kill. A man of conscience, it seems.
And: nice work on the friendship/dynamic between Cutter and his boss, Jack McCoy.
The Middle. Episode 1. "Pilot" Superhero suit.
A real feel-good show. Lots of funny scenes here and there and a group of characters, a family, who seem to really like one another and enjoy one another's company.
When this was over I had a nice big grin on my face, and it wasn't just from laughing.
It reminded me of Malcolm In The Middle in lots of ways. All of them good.
Arrested Development. Season 3, Episode 6. "The Ocean Walker" Marrying Rita.
A classic. Surely one of the very best episodes. The Rita character/storyline is not one of my favourites but this is a masterpiece. It manages to be relentlessly fast-paced and funny. And the ending, the final good-bye between Michael and Rita is truly magical and touching.
And, it gets better. Only on Arrested Development could they deliver a touching/magical scene and immediately descend into (truly hilarious) chaos without ruining what went before.
Every time I see it, I gasp when Rita walks across the water. It's beautiful. And they don't spoil it one little bit by using the same bit of business (Gob's magic trick) for hearty laughs as soon as Rita is out of shot.
Is "Why am I not going under water? Dear God, why am I not going under water??" the greatest line ever uttered in Arrested Development?
Highlight? Arrested Development (the ending is magical and hilarious in equal measure)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Z Rock, Law And Order, The Middle, Arrested Development
