Thursday, December 17th, 2009
05.00 Friends
05.30 NCIS
06.30 Royal Pains
Friends. Episode 8. "The One Where Nana Dies Twice" Funeral.
Not the funniest or best episode so far, but it's the most significant for two reasons.
#1. Paulo (from the previous episode) is mentioned. The first example of episode-to-episode continuity in the show. Eventually this would be one of the show's most notable features: continuity and ongoing serials. Eventually it became a veritable soap opera. And it all started here.
#2. There's a lovely moment towards the end of the episode where Monica and the gang are looking at a photo of her grandmother and her own gang, long ago. And they remark that they look like a fun group. And there's a moment (maybe two beats) where we are allowed to observe this little fun group before the action moves on. In this moment, we see the show striving to be more than just funny. And succeeding. Something it will become very good at.
NCIS. Season 6, Episode 10. "Road Kill" Fight Club.
Tracy Scoggins and Antonio Sabato Jr. guest in another strong NCIS. Solid case-of-the-week and a few twists. The blackmail scheme is rather ingenious.
Royal Pains. Episode 9. "It's Like Jamais Vu All Over Again" Equestrian show.
Paulo Costanzo is hilarious in this episode. Virtually everything Evan says/does is laugh-out-loud funny. The absolute highlight is the scene where he tries to lie to Divia's parents. Classic.
The storyline with Divia's parents is predictable, but really good nonetheless. I didn't warm to her much at the start, but I really like the character now. A lot. So I care. And, because of this, the story works.
The soap opera that is building up around Hank, Jill and her ex-husband takes a major leap forward in this episode. And it's all good.
Meanwhile the case-of-the-week is very strong and (once again) highlights Hank as a genuinely nice person who cares and goes the extra mile for his patients. For that, alone, I would tune in every week.
Highlight? Royal Pains (Evan)
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Friends, NCIS, Royal Pains
