The Crazy Ones 1.07 Review: The Stalker Files

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of The Crazy Ones, titled ‘Sydney, Australia’, now would a good time to do so before reading ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This series is hilarious, I absolutely love it. From what I can recall, it’s the best sitcom I’ve watched in a while. This ensemble cast just works so well together, that I don’t ever want this series to end. They really kill it working together.

So this week, Josh Groban guest starred as Sydney’s stalker ex who saw an ad about her in a paper and sent her a basket with a CD that included a song – or rather a jingle – about her. A rather catchy song at that, to which Sydney’s loveable coworkers begin to tease her with to no end. I just loved all of their reactions to the song, with Zach and Andrew and Lauren all singing along to it when they first heard it. These people are honestly a comedy gold mind. Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar are great, but it’s the rounding out of the cast with James Wolk, Hamish Linklater, and Amanda Setton that just turn this comedy into something spectacular.

Really, I don’t think there is anything that I found particularly wrong with this episode. Sure, I expected Sydney to turn Danny down and then for them to somehow want or need them in the end, but that didn’t make it any less interesting when it happened. Then there was Simon’s hatred of Australia, which was just plain hilarious, especially when he sings about it at the end with Danny and comes to the conclusion it may have been New Zealand he’s hated all these years. Not only that, but all of the funny ways they pitched ideas to the Aussie tourist agency was sidesplitting, particularly when they all dressed up in the feathers and dresses. This series is just through the roof funny, and I don’t often say that about sitcoms. Perhaps it’s that this series doesn’t dumb down the funny, and that all of the actors are really coming into their own in their characters, including Sarah Michelle Gellar to which I found was struggling in the beginning, but any way you put it this show is great.

All in all, I love this series. The characters are perfect, kooky and flawed and each adding their own piece to the unit. The filming style works great, especially the brief views of New York City. Really, every week I look forward to this show and it doesn’t disappoint. This show makes for the perfect end to an evening of television. I just can’t wait for more.

My rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“They also gave us the Wiggles, which only enjoyable when you’re high, and what kind of message is that for kids?” – Simon mutters on about his hatred for Australia.

“Wait, I’m sensing your question was rhetorical.” – Lauren realizes, after going on about her stalker techniques.

“Australia’s so hot, not even the Nazi’s wanted it.” - Simon complains.

“Should they even be allowed to call themselves a continent? I think we should revisit that, like we did with Pluto.” – Simon persists with his hatred for Australia.

“I always wonder where it goes when that happens.” – Lauren ponders, after Sydney says she no longer has to pee.

“God, I hate that coun-“ – Simon mutters. “Dad!” – Sydney cuts him off.

Okay, that’s all for tonight. I’m off to go watch a couple episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before bed. Check back in tomorrow night for my reviews of Dracula and Haven.

The Crazy Ones 1.05 Review: Too Much Information

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of The Crazy Ones, entitled ‘She’s So European’, I suggest you go and do that now. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

I have to say how thoroughly I enjoy this series. While this wasn’t the strongest episode that has aired, it did make me laugh quite often, and I got to see more interactions between Zach and Sydney. This may be premature, but down the line I do hope that they date at some point.

This week to me Sydney seemed a little too high strung. Yes, she’s a career-obsessed woman who doesn’t want to hear about her father or coworkers sex lives, but even obsessively clean Monica had more to her than that one thing. Sydney needs to be a little more developed on a week-to-week basis. The week where Simon tried to reteach her how to drive, she had more emotions behind it with not being raised rationally, but we don’t fully see that there’s more to her this week. The high-strung bit is a little annoying at times.

James Wolk’s character Zach I just absolutely love. The opening scene with his character and Simon riffing off each other was just spectacular, my favourite part of this episode. He definitely has an uncanny knack for improvisation, and as actor I most certainly can see him going far. As a fan of Shameless, I didn’t really get to see much to the Boy Scout kind of guy he played on that, but with this series I’m really getting to see a great range for comedy. Perfect casting call in my opinion.

So, this wasn’t this series strongest episode, being that Sydney’s voice was a little too squeaky and high pitched for my liking, but it was funny. Plus any less funny episode of this series is much better than some comedies still going on out there (I’m looking at you New Girl). I continue to look forward to this series each week.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You say 5’8, you’re Peter Dinklage.” – Zach explains to Simon about online dating.

“Say, does anyone have a cyanide capsule I can borrow?” – Andrews asks the room.

Alright, folks, I’m off to shower. If this headache I have goes away after some down time, I’ll try and post the sixth edition of Best Performances of the Week. Otherwise, the latest it will be out is Saturday, but more likely tomorrow night.

The Crazy Ones 1.04 Review: Creative Time Crunch

For all those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of The Crazy Ones, entitled ‘Breakfast Burrito Club’, then I suggest you go and do so now. As always, this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

I love this show. This has probably become my favourite new sitcom of the season, mind you I’ve only watched three, and one of them I stopped watching after two episodes (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Still, the easy comedy that comes out of these actors, both established and not, is quite lucrative. And the fast paced world of advertising is perfectly placed in a city such as New York.

A few of my favourite comedic moments in this episode were seeing how much of a workaholic Sydney is, and how she was being forced to go on vacation to Hawaii. Her ability to draw flawless circles, which is completely ridiculous in real life, but this is a sitcom, and it’s not completely out there. Also, Zack’s crush on the girl Natalie, feelings he’s not used to having. And then there was Lauren’s psychotic poetry about her ex Charlie. Simple but brilliant comedy, which is what I find is true of the most successful sitcoms.

It was good to see an episode more focused around Sydney, rather than her father Simon. Good to know that this series will be able to revolve around each of these characters, from week to week. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s comedic bones are beginning to shine, and I have to say that I’m liking it so far. This makes me excited to be able to eventually see episodes that focus on Zack, Lauren, and Andrew. While I know Simon and Sydney will pull more attention to them, it’s good to see how great the ensemble cast is.

I have to say that I’m surprised they threw in that moment with Sydney and Andrew this episode. While it was easy to see the weird back and forth chemistry in this episode between them, I really thought this series was going to eventually lead to Zack and Sydney being together. That may still happen in the future, but it doesn’t really seem likely anymore, or even after watching the first episode. I know this is a series about a family workplace environment, but it’s nice to see some kinds of romance popping up every now and again.

This sitcom is definitely my favourite newbie, possibly even my favourite sitcom altogether, although there’s not much competition currently on television these days. I really like to see the family unit these guys fit into the workplace. It’s great to see that not everyone is constantly bickering behind each other’s backs. Really looking forward to seeing this series grow.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You better be in love with her, after that pointless story you made us listen to.” – Andrew tells Zack.

“Suburban murder-suicide.” – Lauren expresses where she thinks love leads.

“She makes me less tall?” – Andrew questions Sydney.

“We discuss our feelings while we quilt.” – Andrew says of his sisters and him.

“How do I make her stop talking?” – Zack asks. “Marry her.” – Simon responds.

All right, people, that’s all for tonight. Check back in tomorrow for my fifth edition of Best Performances of the Week, and my review of Haven. Otherwise I’m off to let my head dethaw from all this numbness.

The Crazy Ones 1.03 Review: An Unconventional Relationship

If you haven’t watched last night’s episode of The Crazy Ones, entitled ‘Bad Dad’, then now would be a good time to do so. This has never been and is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

I really like this sitcom. It has a heartwarming family vibe, with great workplace chemistry inserted into it. This is shaping up to be the best new sitcom of the season.

Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar just have an amazing familial connection. I really feel that these two are a father-daughter team. They understand each other and love each other, despite their faults, and that genuinely comes across on the screen.

Gellar is also beginning to find a nice little niche in this comedy, versus her other long-running character (*cough*in the best series ever*cough*). This episode focused a little more on the relationship between her and Williams’ character, and that made her able to highlight who this character is, just as quirky and nutty as her father.

As always James Wolk and Hamish Linklater were hilarious, in their own respective ways. There was less of Wolk in this episode than the last two, and we got to see more of Linklater’s character and who he is, so that was nice little switch up.

But it was Amanda Setton’s character Lauren that really got beefed up in this episode. I like seeing she can hold her own, especially on a series other than Gossip Girl. I’m definitely happy to see her apart of this cast, she’s great in the supportive secretary role.

This episode definitely deepened who each of these characters are. It’s good to know that a certain level of depth can be reached in this sitcom, which is what has helped the greats like Friends and How I Met Your Mother last so long. While that amount of depth wasn’t exactly in this episode, there was a certain amount of character progression.

Overall I really do like this series, so I really hope it gets a full season pick up. It appears it’s holding its own in the 9:30 Thursday time slot, so it should be okay, especially since it is a sitcom. I really hope this series gets a second season two, but we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the season goes first.

Best Lines:

“You don’t like being corrected.” – Lauren says to Sydney, after learning she has a woman’s name wrong.

“I’m trying to be here for you, but it’s not easy.” – Sydney explains to Zach.

The entire colonoscopy segment, which was too long to copy down.

“Are all my mugs lies? Do I actually like Monday’s?” – Simon reflects, after learning he’s kind of a bad dad.

Okay, that’s it for this review. There were a lot more lines I loved, but I’d be pausing this show every two seconds if I copied down all the good ones.

I’m off to watch Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, then I’m going to try to catch Grey’s Anatomy, but no promises on a review for that, I’m quite tired at the moment.

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.