New Girl 3.04 Review: Feelings Versus a Physical Relationship

If you haven’t watched last night’s New Girl episode, entitled ‘The Captain’, then now would be a good time to do so. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed at your own discretion.

What can I say about this episode? I honestly have only one note, and it’s not even a note, it’s my favourite line of the episode. There were some funny moments, one in particular being when Jess turns off the light and makes the horn noise. Winston was also funny, with his desire to get his cat laid. He genuinely did get it right though, that he’s hosting a cat brothel, but still the most normal roommate in the loft.

I’m really just looking forward to seeing Coach back in the series, for whatever time he is in it. Winston is great, but he’s the only thing that keeps me watching it week to week, as I wait to see Coach. Jess and Nick’s relationship is incredibly dull already, and they’ve only been together one month. And then the whole Schmidt situation where he didn’t end up picking one woman just came to a head way too early. This series is nowhere near the comical standing of Friends, I can’t see it lasting more than another year or two, if this is the way it keeps going.

In the beginning, these characters were funny, they were getting to know each other, we were getting to know them. Now it’s like we know them too much, and there’s nothing left to learn. Don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy seeing how much characters know about each other, but there has to be a little bit of mystery for the audience to be able to grow fond of.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Best Line:

“How often do you groom your cat?” – Winston asking a woman, and she thinks he’s referring to them as cats.

All right, I’m going to try and punch in Trophy Wife and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but it looks like I’m not going to get to Supernatural tonight. Stay tuned.

The Crazy Ones 1.02 Review: Failure is on the Road to Greatness

For all those that have yet to watch tonight’s episode of The Crazy Ones, titled ‘The Spectacular’, or are simply not caught up at all and are hoping to do so without the threat of spoilers, then now would be the time to exit this blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Right off the bat, this series began its second episode of comedy most hilariously. Every interaction between Robin Williams’s character and James Wolk’s character is just hysterical. Not only do they have a childlike friendship that works out brilliantly, but they play off each other like no others.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and surmise that the beginning of each episode will include that backdrop and either photographic or videographic advertisement, much like the first episode and this one. While this time around it worked out a little better than last week’s, I’m not sure if they eventually won’t find themselves stuck in this rut of having to write that into the beginning of the episode.

This series surprisingly managed to stick in a lot of penis metaphors, while not making them too graphic. It’s nice to see a show dip into immaturity, without dipping into the immaturity that is merely infantile in humour. I like that I seem to be able to trust this series won’t shy away from that comedy, but at the same time won’t rely on it.

The episode this week I believe was very funny, and that was without depending on the backing of a commercial product (McDonalds) or a celebrity guest (Kelly Clarkson). This is a sitcom I can get behind. Fast paced, interesting new world, and characters that play off each other brilliantly. It’s almost comedy gold. Based off merely this episode, I quite hope this series gets a second season because I desperately want to see these characters for years to come.

While I’m a big fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy for the win!), I do think she needs a little work with her facial acting when it comes to comedy. That, and she looks really thin in the face and neck area. Maybe it has something to do with the stress of raising two kids, I don’t know, but I would like to see her looking a little healthier.

 Maybe it was just me having a girl moment, but didn’t anyone else squeal when they saw the ducks all following after Simon and Andrew? They were just so adorable and fuzzy! Definitely the right move in making Simon appear eccentric and childlike in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason he is so able to freely come up with brilliant ideas for advertisement, because he’s got the imagination and heart of a child.

All in all, I greatly responded to this second outing for the series. It has everything I look for in a comedy, funny, great chemistry between actors, and interesting storylines to be followed. I would like to see some development for Sydney when it comes to relationships with men, but this is only the second episode, I trust that will come in due time.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Best Line:

“No, but you can get a gay one. Because ducks are fabulous!” – Simon responding to his daughter’s question of whether she can get a straight answer.

All right, I’m off to watch Grey’s Anatomy now, then it’s either The Originals or The Vampire Diaries. Probably in reverse order for possible continuity issues.

New Girl 3.01 Review: Kermit the Frog is Brown

For all those that have yet to watch the season three premiere of New Girl entitled ‘All In’, or any of the passed two seasons for that matter, and wish to watch it spoiler free, now would be the time to step away from this blog. As always, spoilers come along with the package of this review. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

Alright, now to recap where the series left off at the end of last season, once again briefly as I haven’t watched the episode since it aired. Nick and Jess decided they weren’t going to work and it’d be better to call it quits now before they got hurt, but after some advice, they decided to give a relationship a try. Cece was supposed to get married, after learning she didn’t have long to have children, but ended up calling it off because she didn’t love Shivran. Schmidt did his best to get Cece’s wedding cancelled, seeing that she was unhappy, and in the end his girlfriend and Cece told him he had to choose, and he ran away. Winston was basically just there.

Now, for the good part, the review. I’m going to call this a ‘be careful what you wish for’ moment, because I was all gung ho for Jess and Nick to get together, but I’m already tired of their scenes together. The first few minutes where it’s just them made me remember why I’ve called it quits on this series once already, and why I wanted to again. I can’t honestly be the only one that didn’t care for their scenes. They were honestly the weakest point in this episode. And that whole Mexico scenario was just a terrible opener. I mean, really, was that completely necessary? What sense did that make?

Getting passed my irritation with their scenes, I wasn’t all that mesmerized by Schmidt’s scenes with his two love interests. It’s obvious that he loves Cece, but for some reason he’s got to make trouble for himself by leading her and Elizabeth on? Obviously that’s not going to end well. This is becoming too predictable already. I can picture it now: both relationships are going to end up ending, Elizabeth will go on her merry way because she’s not a series regular, and Cece will be angry with Schmidt and not be able to stand him, until eventually the two realize their love for each other and get back together. Have we not already done this?

I have to say, the honest highlight of the entire episode, and possibly the only reason other than the fact Coach will be coming back soon to keep me watching this already tired series, was Winston. Lamorne Morris just plays him hilariously. The randomness of the puzzle situation was the best part of the episode, and learning that he’s actually colour blind was just great. The way he played his confusion to figuring out what colour he thinks he is was hilarious. If he’s not nominated for at least a supporting actor Emmy next year, I really will be done thinking the Emmy’s are at all fair at judging the submissions they get.

My rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Now, I know everyone’s going through a lot, but I think it is time for me to start a puzzle.” – Winston, demonstrating his spectacular randomness.

“Don’t talk to me that much, never lie to me, and never ever touch my puzzle.” – Winston, letting Schmidt know his guidelines to becoming his best friend over Nick.

“I needed your underwear to sew into my underwear.” – Winston, covering for Schmidt after he thought he’d broken up with Cece, in a hilarious exchange.

“Is that an almond inserted into one of those pieces? You know that’s an almond, right?” – Schmidt, talking to Winston about his already four day puzzle.

So that’s all for tonight, check back tomorrow for my opinion of this weeks best male and female performances. Then check in Sunday for my review of the series finale of Dexter. I know, exciting.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1.01 Review: You Don't Always Have to Grow Up

By now you should know the drill. All those that haven’t watched Tuesday night’s episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the premiere episode, please kindly exit the premises of this blog. As always, there may be spoilers pertaining to the episode below. To reiterate, THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD!

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I’ll dive right into the review portion of the evening. The episode started off with a lovely image of Andy Samberg’s face, and his giving a speech we find out he’s giving to a video camera while solving a robbery crime. Solid opening, in my opinion, and it definitely gives the audience a sense of who this character is – a smart cop that hasn’t quite grown up yet. He could end up being an interesting character, but I didn’t quite get anything other than superficial characteristics to him, there was almost no depth to the guy. I know that it’s a sitcom, but I still expect a little more out of the main character.

Andre Braugher in his role as the Captain was as commanding as ever. You see this guy, and immediately feel that he has a sort of presence to him. The man is certainly a great actor, but again I didn’t feel much of a depth to him. Maybe it’s that this is a sitcom, or that the writing doesn’t quite develop these characters into fully three-dimensional people, but it’s something that is lacking. An actor can only do the best they can with the writing they’re given. The way his character says that he’s gay; it’s like there was no emotion to it. Someone that has gone through the hardship of coming out in a profession that wasn’t quite as accepting as it should have been would have had more depth to it that I didn’t feel. It was more like he was a little surprised about it, like he was just saying his name or something.

When it comes to sitcoms, I tend to be more a fan of ones like How I Met Your Mother, Cougar Town, and Friends. It’s not that I need the laugh track to find it funny; it’s more that I’m not a fan of the documentary type feel of a sitcom. Not that I’ve ever watched it for longer than five minutes, but the cinematography for this show felt like that of The Office, and I have yet to be able to sit through that show. There were some good laughs to this show, but if it keeps up the way it is, it might be one of the first shows I cut off my schedule. I just don’t really feel the documentary-style filmmaking is necessary to make an interesting sitcom. It almost feels sloppy to me, like otherwise the audience would be unable to become immersed in the series. But that may just be my own feelings toward it.

I think that’s about all I can say about this episode except for a couple of small things. I absolutely loved the scene where Terry Crews character Jeffords freaks out and shoots a mannequin. It was definitely one of the funnier scenes. I also liked the frictional dynamic between Peralta (Samberg) and the Captain; I’d like to see that escalate. They can certainly learn to respect each other, but I don’t want to see their bickering not included in future episodes.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“Ah man, my muffin. Ah! Ah, my head. My muffin, my head, and I stepped on- on my muffin. And my muffin, my head, my muffin…” – Charles, after dropping his muffin on the ground.

“Ah, that went well.” – Peralta.

“No, it didn’t.” – the Captain.

“He’s got, like, super-hearing.” – Peralta, in one of their many comical banters.

“Do you think it’s the same dude that left that bong there on the floor?” – Peralta, after a guy says someone broke into his apartment to smoke weed, to which he answers a quiet yes.

“Humility over, I’m amazing.” – Peralta, demonstrating how modest he is not.

“Never took off the speedo. Big mistake. It is inside me.” – Peralta. Anyone else seeing the pattern that this guy gets the best lines?

All right, that’s it for now. Check back here in a couple hours for my review of the third season premiere of New Girl. I’m now off to shower and then watch the episode.

A Few Predictions

So, here’s a few predictions, and a list of all the new shows I’ll be trying out.

New Series’ I’ll Be Watching (in alphabetical order):

-       Almost Human (FOX) – Monday, November 4^th at 8 pm

-       Betrayal (ABC) – Sunday, September 29^th at 10 pm

-       The Blacklist (NBC) – Monday, September 23^rd at 10 pm

-       Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX) – Tuesday, September 17^th at 8:30 pm

-       The Crazy Ones (CBS) – Thursday, September 26^th at 9 pm

-       Dracula (NBC) – Friday, October 25^th at 10 pm

-       Enlisted (FOX) – Friday, November 8^th at 9:30 pm

-       Hostages (CBS) – Monday, September 23^rd at 10 pm

-       Ironside (NBC) – Wednesday, October 2^nd at 9 pm

-       Lucky 7 (ABC) – Tuesday, September 24^th at 10 pm

-       Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) – Tuesday, September 24^th at 8 pm

-       Masters of Sex (Showtime) – Sunday, September 29^th at 10 pm

-       Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC) – Thursday, October 10^th at 8 pm

-       The Originals (CW) – Tuesday, October 15^th at 8 pm

-       Reign (CW) – Thursday, October 17^th at 9 pm

-       Sleepy Hollow (FOX) – Monday, September 16^th at 9 pm

-       The Tomorrow People (CW) – Wednesday, October 9^th at 9 pm

-       Trophy Wife (ABC) – Tuesday, September 24^th at 9:30 pm

-       Welcome to the Family (NBC) – Thursday, October 3^rd at 8:30 pm

Most Promising New Series’ (in descending order):

Drama:

-       The Blacklist

-       Sleepy Hollow

-       Masters of Sex – it’s a cable show, but I think it’ll do well

-       Hostages – while I don’t think I’ll keep up with this series, I do think it’ll be a somewhat breakout hit

Comedy:

-       Brooklyn Nine-Nine

New Series I’m Most Looking Forward to (in descending order):

Drama:

-       The Blacklist

-       Dracula – I know there are enough vampires in the media right now, but this is Dracula we’re talking about, and how can you pass Jonathan Rhys Meyers?

-       Almost Human

-       Sleepy Hollow – who doesn’t love a good mythology? Just me?

-       Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

-       The Originals

Comedy:

-       Brooklyn Nine-Nine

-       The Crazy Ones – I love SMG, big Buffy fan!

-       Trophy Wife – Malin Akerman is amazing, ditto to Bradley Whitford

-       Enlisted – Chris Lowell is hilarious!

Series I’m Most Likely to Lose Interest In (in descending order):

Drama:

-       Reign – It’s a rehashed, medieval Gossip Girl, but I liked the first couple seasons of that show, so…

-       The Tomorrow People – I love Aaron Yoo, and Luke Mitchell seems to be a promising actor, but I’m not giving this show much hope

-       Hostages

-       Lucky 7 – it could go the way of Third Watch, but I don’t think it’ll withstand

-       Betrayal

-       Once Upon a Time in Wonderland – split days, and OUAT’s terrible scripts, I just don’t know

Comedy:

-       Enlisted

-       Welcome to the Family – I love a good teenage pregnancy story, but most of the writing doesn’t seem up to par

Most Likely to be Cancelled:

Before a Full Pick-up:

-       Lucky 7

-       Betrayal

-       Welcome to the Family – NBC is notorious for cancelling good comedies (Go On), so, while Mike O’Malley is a good actor/writer, the rest of this show doesn’t seem up to par

-       Reign – While it could fill the shoes left by Gossip Girl, it likely won’t last

-       Enlisted – I can’t see this show lasting

After the Back Nine:

-       The Crazy Ones – sadly, I don’t expect this one to last

-       Dracula – the world may well have its fill of vampires

-       Trophy Wife – I just have this feeling that this show won’t last

-       The Tomorrow People – it’s the CW, so it could go either way, but I don’t know

-       Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – while I do think it’ll do well, the price tag on the series could put it to bed