My TV Rankings, 4/2013

My rankings for the twenty new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, January 20th to Saturday, January 26th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Last Resort “Controlled Flight Into Terrain” A

Some shows have good endings, others have disappointing endings, Last Resort had the perfect ending. The tension and drama worked brilliantly here as every step Marcus, Sam, Anders and Co took against each other reverberated around the story. Michael Mosley is great at playing assholes and Anders is was brilliantly malevolent in this episode, as he and his fellow mutineers attempted to bring the sub to the Chinese. The battle between the two (or three?) sides on the sub was one of the better things Last Resort has done and the scene where Sam and Marcus taunt Anders over the intercom was just an extraordinarily brilliant scene – great work throughout the episode by Andre Braugher. The scenes outside the sub complemented those inside very well. While some aspects of Last Resort have been lacking, everything worked great this week, especially the radar station plot and the ending to the D.C. story, where Kylie takes matters into her own hands. Although I’d have liked to see more of Last Resort, this episode was doubtlessly a great way to end the thirteen episodes it got and cement its place as the best new network drama of the season.

2. 30 Rock “A Goon’s Deed In A Weary World” A-

I didn’t cry at the airport ending, but I came very close. Liz and Criss picking up their new kids from the airport was a fantastic end to this great episode and the reveal that they were a mini-Tracy and a mini-Jenna was superb (and I didn’t even realize it at the time). As well as having that great emotional moment, this episode was wickedly funny. Every retort, observation, flashback and gag was brilliantly executed and provoked lots of laughter. The best part of Liz’ attempt to save TGS was her meeting with the “Bro Body Douche” executive, which used more hilarious frat boy vocabulary than anything I’ve ever seen before. Kenneth’s ascendency to the head of NBC didn’t play out as well as I wanted it to, but it was still pretty good to watch, especially with that charming end tag (very well sung by Jack McBrayer). While this episode fell a little short of perfection, it would have served very well as a finale, which makes me even more excited for what Tina Fey has planned for the final ever episode next week.

3. Legit “Dreams” A-

While this wasn’t as great as the pilot, I still loved this episode of Legit a lot. Second episodes can be tricky, but Legit aced it, just like it aced the ‘comedy pilots are usually weak’ test a week ago. The process of breaking Billy out of the home was very fun to watch and the aftermath, although a little cliched was also quite enjoyable. The most intriguing thing about this episode was the addition of Rodney, Billy’s dwarf roommate, who Billy resents for his cheerfulness. Rodney’s Donald Trump impersonation and the general way he carries himself made a big impression on me and Legit looking at other disabled people (and the relations between disabled people) has me very interested. The episode lost a little as it went along, but the resolution, where Billy can now live with Jim was great and Jim Jefferies was ultra-funny throughout. I may be repeating what I said last week, but that guy’s sense of humor appeals to me on so many levels. The ratings for this are a little worrying (also, male viewers outnumber female viewers ten-to-one), but I’m really enjoying the heartwarming/hilarious blend that is Legit.

For my take on Girls, Archer, Bunheads and more, read below:

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My TV Rankings, 3/2013

My rankings for the twenty-five new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, January 14th to Saturday, January 19th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Legit “Pilot” A/A-

I saw a lot of people talking about Legit as if it was of pretty mixed quality, or ‘building up to something special’. Building up to something special? This *was* special. Seriously, comedy pilots/premiere episodes are often really tough to get right, and even great shows like Arrested Development or Community struggle initially, but this was almost perfect from the get-go. Maybe its just because I found Jim Jeffries’ sense of humor so appealing (I can understand if others find it less amusing, but I think he was hilarious here) or because the general style of the show worked so well for me, but what I saw here was very impressive. The story was perfect and allowed DJ Qualls to do some outstanding acting. I’ve really liked him in other stuff, so I was interested in the show as soon as I found out he was starring, but what he did here went beyond my expectations and sealed the deal for me with the show. I think what Jeffries is doing here is really great and the story, the humor and the general ambiance is something which worked perfectly here. If he keeps being funny and Qualls keeps giving (funny and touching) insight into the lives of those with severe muscular dystrophy, then Legit could be one of the best new shows of 2013.

2. Parks and Recreation “Two Parties” A-

Parks and Recreation isn’t really renowned as a ‘dudes hanging out’ style of comedy, but when it attempted to do just that here, it was excellent and made this otherwise unexceptional episode one which was really memorable. The guys having Ben’s bachelor party playing Settlers of Catan was funny enough, but when they had a bachelor party of choice for each group member who should have had one the storyline went from merely funny to perfect. The ‘new ways to consume alcohol’ club and the ice-cream parlor had some good laughs, but once the gang got to Indianapolis, it kicked into high-gear. Seeing Andy catch a touchdown pass from Andrew Luck and kick a Field Goal was brilliant, and the dinner at ‘St.Elmo’s Steakhouse’ was also perfect (Gingrich cameo! Roy Hibbert being pissed at Tom for Entertainment 720!). The culmination of the evening, with everyone singing along to ‘Shoop’ was just perfect. The other half of the episode wasn’t bad, but even with the consistently funny running joke about the Wamapoke Tribe, the ‘penis hats’ and the Abraham Lincoln-based stripper, it just didn’t match up to the male part of the episode, which was incredible.

3. Scandal “A Criminal, a Whore, an Idiot and a Liar” A-

I got an increasingly sick feeling in my stomach as this episode of Scandal moved along, and believe me, that’s a sign that the show is working. Up until now, the election-rigging plot was just another far-fetched thing which Scandal made entertaining, but never something which actually appalled me (I’ve seen too much here to have an emotional reaction to anything the show does). But as the days counted down to the election in the flashbacks, I actually got more and more tense and nervous about what was going on and what was about to happen. The debates, the conspiracy and Olivia finally breaking down, it was all handled masterfully well by Scandal, which went for the sucker-punch in both the flashbacks and the present-day stuff, and totally pulled it off. As for said present-day stuff, Fitz’ return to office was pretty great to watch, not only his determination but the portrayal of how he was struggling to hide the symptoms of his trauma. His decision at the end to ask Mellie for a divorce is another game-changer for a show which has repeatedly shifted direction, but this reveal was actually a shock and was a nice end to this great episode.

Read below for my take on this week’s New Girl, Banshee, Bunheads, both episodes of Happy Endings and much, much more

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My TV Rankings, 2/2013

My rankings for the twenty-five new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, January 6th to Saturday, January 13th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Happy Endings “Fowl Play/Date”A-

This was the second Happy Endings episode in a row which both convinced me the show is back on the right track (although the second episode this week sort of put a dampener on that) and made me laugh endlessly. First of all – Alex’s racist parrot was one of my favorite one-off bits from last season and to see him come back here (and drop dead) was just perfect. Brad and Penny’s attempt to cover up the chirpy bigot’s death was so many shades of hilarious – Brad’s attempt to resuscitate the bird, Penny constantly slapping Brad (Damon Wayans Jr. and Casey Wilson were perfect) and then Alex at the funeral – seriously, this was some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen on Happy Endings. The B-plot with Max getting set-up by Dave and Jane could have been so, so, so much worse in a different sitcom, but the way it was done here was pretty good. Sure, Dave and Jane were a little too over-interferey for my liking, but the strength of the writing and cast in this show made a potentially difficult plot great, with the ‘Neil Patrick Niles’ burn and the resemblance between Dave and his gay alter-ego causing painful laughter. A really enjoyable episode (also, the ‘Con’ list at the start was epic).

2. Bunheads “You Wanna See Something” A-

Boy, am I so glad to have this show back - I just sat through the entire episode with a big smile on my face (even during the tampon commercial-esque opening credits). Bunheads may not be the best show on TV, but when it brings an episode like this it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable. Michelle’s post-macing life in Nevada was so well detailed and enjoyable (seriously, every joke about Talia’s ‘sugar daddy’ was just perfect) and Sutton Foster kicked it out of the park, especially when interacting with Kelly Bishop (who got a great little subplot with Stacey Oristano – who killed it (as always) as Truly). The various stories about the four girls were a little less noteworthy, but each had some fun moments (Kaitlyn Jenkins’ facial expressions were so awesome in the viral video) and although it was obvious that Sasha was ‘the package’, the sight gag of her getting out of her Scooby Doo-esque hiding place was gold and I also liked the end of her story where she hugged Michelle, which was sweet. Although the ratings for this episode were worrying (watch it live people!), I’m dearly hoping that great episodes like these get Bunheads another season.

3. Justified “Hole In The Wall” A-

Another show I’m happy to see back on my screen. Justified is just so well-done, so fun, so consistently awesome and the season got off to a great start here. Raylan earning unethical money on the side from getting a fugitive to a bounty hunter in Tennessee was intriguing and the way it played out (with Tom Walker/Gary Cooper from Homeland/The Newsroom in a great performance as the fugitive) was really entertaining, especially once Raylan got messed up in the thing with the bag in the wall. That whole thing looks very promising for the rest of the season and although Arlo isn’t my favorite character, the scenes with him in prison were just brilliant. Also, Patton Oswalt as the County Constable – genius: another great character in a show already filled with wonderfully detailed figures. As for Boyd’s troubles with the preacher – that is also extremely promising for the future and his Army buddy is already another intriguing character (also, Ellen May shooting the Judge-in-the-bear-costume had me laughing incessantly) in what’s shaping up to be a spectacular fourth season.

Read below for my take on Scandal, Ben and Kate, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife and much, much more (seriously, I watch a lot of TV):

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My TV Rankings, Week 21

My rankings for the twenty-two new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, December 2nd to Saturday, December 8th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Parks and Recreation “Ron and Diane” A

I haven’t really been keeping count (these rankings don’t go back that far), but I *think* this is the best episode Parks and Recreation has done since its third season. Everything was just firing on all cylinders here, with all plots providing for an excellent laugh-to-minute ratio and some good times all round. Ron hasn’t had that many plots dedicated to him over the last season or so, but this was pretty much perfect, with the Woodworking Awards providing a lot of great gags, Leslie and Diane’s relationship with him giving us some good emotional stuff, Megan Mulally’s occasionally grating Tammy 2 being used in a perfectly sleazy manner and Nick Offerman anchoring the plot wonderfully, with the Duke Silver reveal at the end being played brilliantly. The Jerry side of the episode was also perfection - everything centering around the schlemiel/schlimazel of the Parks department and his incredibly hot wife and daughters was hilarious and the way Tom and April handed over their cruelly-accrued money to him was very well done (the Chris/Ben side-plot was also great to watch, with Rob Lowe absorbing every psychological blow to Chris in highly entertaining fashion). Just excellent.

2. Boardwalk Empire “Margate Sands” A/A-

Nicely wrapped up Boardwalk Empire, nicely wrapped up. While not an all-time classic like last season’s finale, the show concluded its third season very effectively here. That it would end with a bloodbath was unsurprising, but the way it happened was highly entertaining and beautifully shot, with Tim Van Patten’s direction in the scene where one-man killing machine Richard methodically shoots his way through the brothel earning him another Emmy (in my estimation at least). Gyp Rosetti was obviously going to die, but the manner of his demise and the way Nucky and Co went about getting rid of him was just perfect, with Bobby Cannavale showing us one last time how sublime his performance as this ridiculous hothead is. There’s some stuff in this finale which I’m not totally onboard with, such as the absence of any plot resolution for some characters (why no Van Alden, dammit!) and the impact of the events on Nucky was slightly over-played for my liking, but I’m generally very happy with the way this season ended, with even the ‘Luciano smuggles heroin’ plot (which was responsible for dragging last week down to a split grade) getting wrapped up very well. I’m looking forward to season four.

3. Last Resort “Cinderella Liberty” A-

I don’t believe that Last Resort is a show which is capable of pulling off a 24-esque high stakes situation *every week*, but boy do I wish they’d do it on a more regular basis. There was some really phenomenal stuff in this episode, with an extremely tense and intriguing set-up being portrayed excellently by everyone on the show. Every time a hostage got shot it came as a shock and jolted the entire show brilliantly, with Andre Braugher’s performance during these high-stakes moments delivering brilliantly (and Daisy Betts and the guy who played the Pakistani Admiral were also great). I also liked how it finally gave us some context for the attack on Pakistan, with the flashbacks to Random Navy SEAL (sorry, I still don’t know his name) and Hopper’s mission working very well. I’m not too keen on the ending, which felt like a very artificial way to advance the drama and the scenes in D.C. were back to being lame after the great last few weeks, but overall I’m very happy with this episode of Last Resort, which proved that the soon-to-be-dead show can really bring an A-game when necessary.

Read below for my take on Happy Endings, Always Sunny, Homeland Suburgatory, Scandal and much more, including the lame episode of Apartment 23 from last season which ABC chose to air on Wednesday:

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My TV Rankings, Week 20

My rankings for the twenty-one new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, November 24th to Saturday, December 1st:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Homeland “Two Hats” A

Tense and thrilling – that’s Homeland’s calling card and this episode was an excellent example of what it can do when both these elements are perfectly used. The twists and turns in the hunt for Abu Nazir and the investigation of Quinn were incredible to watch and kept me on the edge of my seat for much of the episode. I definitely enjoyed the process of taking down the terrorist cell, both for the action but also for the fact that it manages to keep the mystery going, with the chase for Abu Nazir himself being intensified. Saul and Co looking into what Quinn was up to was even better, especially as it gave us the brilliant scene of Saul questioning the skeptical Philly cop (seriously, Mandy Patinkin was killing it in that scene), and the dual reveal of who he really was and what his actual mission is was brilliantly done. Even when you take out what we found out about Quinn, Homeland answered a lot of pressing questions about its characters (what Estes wants with Brody, why Abu Nazir is in the US etc.) and their motivations in this brilliant, entertaining episode of the show which keeps upping its game.

2. 30 Rock “Mazel Tov, Dummies” A

This was perfect. 30 Rock has dropped in and out of Liz Lemon’s overarching ‘story’ in its last seven seasons, but this was a great way to conclude part of this tale, by marrying her to Criss, the only boyfriend who’s felt like actual ‘husband material’. Tina Fey and James Marsden were both on really great form here, giving the story real emotional resonance and making this story sweet, meaningful and funny, with the presence of Dennis Duffy (“Ergo - Affleck’s finally going to win that Oscar!”) and adopted child ‘Black Dennis’ (“Black Dennis, start the car!”) definitely helping in the latter department. This episode also benefited from two very good subplots, with Tracy’s fears of aging like regular people giving us the best story he’s had in years (and Dr. Spacemen) and together with the brief, but very funny Jenna plot gave us lots of great moments for Alec Baldwin, whose supporting role in all the plots here showed us how great his range is. 30 Rock has done a lot of great stuff over the last seven years, but when the curtain falls on the series in January, this will be remembered as one of the best episodes the show has ever done.

3. Boardwalk Empire “Two Imposters” A/A-

Tense and thrilling – wait, didn’t I just say that for Homeland? It’s a pity these two great shows both had excellent episodes this week which prominently contained both these attributes, because Boardwalk Empire suffers slightly in comparison, although it doesn’t change the fact that it was still a fantastic episode. Eddie Kessler has long been an entertaining side-character whose screentime basically consists of Nucky impatiently sniping at him for some perceived inefficiency, so putting the two of them together in a life-and-death situation was an excellent idea from the show. Nucky found that some people are truly loyal to him and the pressure that Gyp Rosetti put him under in this episode made him attempt to reciprocate that loyalty. Steve Buscemi, Michael K. Williams and Anthony Lacuria were all really fantastic here, with the entertaining hunt for Nucky giving us plenty of well-used suspense and a beautifully filmed showdown scene outside Chalky’s beach-house. While the main plot was superb, the subplots were a little weaker – Luciano’s arrest felt like an unnecessary story and Gillian being mean to Richard has basically run its course, so that weakened what was otherwise a brilliant episode.

For my take on The Good Wife, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory and whether Rizzoli & Isles is as good as the fan-fiction it inspires, read below:

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My TV Rankings, Week 19

My rankings for the thirteen new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, November 19th to Saturday, November 25th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Homeland “I’ll Fly Away” A-

Brody is almost done, finished, he’s basically had a breakdown. That’s the recurring theme of most reviews of this episode of Homeland, which showed the collapse of this brilliant character in a manner which was so hauntingly effective that I’m prepared to proclaim that Homeland, after two under-average episodes is right back where it should be. That’s not to say that this episode is perfect, but the way Carrie got Brody back from the brink of total collapse was just mesmerizing. Sure, as a diehard Carrie/Brody shipper (their love is real, dammit!) I may have enjoyed it more than others, but you can’t argue that it wasn’t fantastic (yes, even the awkwardness of Saul/Quinn listening in on their sex was great). Also, the Dana plot worked quite well, and the moment her conscience faced the reality of what she’d done and how little she could do was really well-played by Morgan Saylor. It also underlined what a good part of the ensemble Diego Klattenhoff can be if Mike is given something good to do. I’m a little unsure on the final twist (ridiculous, yes, totally implausible, no – the US-Canadian border is notoriously porous), but other than that I have little to complain about in this really impressive episode.

2. Boardwalk Empire “A Man, A Plan…” A-/B+

There was a lot of really, really good stuff in this episode of Boardwalk Empire, so its a pity that one particular part of this episode was so weak, otherwise this would have been the best episode of the season. The way Nucky’s move on Joe Masseria played out was really well scripted, from Luciano informing him of the plan to the fateful return of Owen in the box - it was beautifully tense and very well thought-out. The most impressive part of this episode was Margaret’s plot: her attempt to run off with Owen and every scene with Nucky was great. Her reaction when she saw Owen dead and her hopes of escaping disappear reminded me of why I put Kelly Macdonald near the top of my Emmy ballot – she was just perfect. In terms of the subplots, Van Alden’s constant troubles in Chicago were pretty enjoyable, Chalky’s attempt at starting a new club was interesting and Gaston Means’ attempt to get rid of Jess Smith was almost perfect, not least because of how Means managed to swindle $80k out of Nucky and Daugherty in the process. Harrow’s romance with Julia was heart-warming and really moved me. But Gyp Rosetti – that plot has gone too far. His violent insecurity can be entertaining at times but it was so obvious and disconcerting where this plot was headed and how it actually panned out that it really weakened the otherwise great episode in my eyes.

3. Go On “Dinner Takes All” B+

Let me just echo (almost) everyone else’s sentiments with regards to this episode of Go On – can we get Lauren Graham back here as much (and as soon) as possible? She was pretty much perfect here, not least because of her chemistry with Matthew Perry and the way she brought tension between Ryan and Steven, which allowed for a very successful A-plot (I loved that scene where they shared a bed). Most important, however, is how her guest appearance has changed Go On – up until now it has been bereft of story arcs, overarching plotlines or anything which has developed on a week-to-week basis – each episode has basically been unique and enclosed. With the prospect of a long-term story between her character and Ryan, Go On has finally started to develop outwards and this is a very good step for the show. This episode may not have been the greatest Thanksgiving episode ever made, but each character got something good to do and (in another sign of a story arc building up) it nicely continued last week’s story about Owen, while also giving us more Carrie (yay!). This was an important episode for Go On and the show pulled it off very well indeed.

For my take on New Girl, The Good Wife, Happy Endings, Wedding Band, an unfortunate episode of The Mindy Project and more, read below:

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My TV Rankings, Week 18

My rankings for the eighteen new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, November 12th to Saturday, November 18th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. New Girl “Menzies” A/A-

If the people who criticized New Girl’s second season earlier this month still don’t like the show after this episode, they might as well quit, because this was a phenomenal half-hour of television and New Girl’s best episode yet. In a lesser show, this episode’s plots could have been really dire, but New Girl made them extremely funny and a highlight of the show so far. The A-plot - Nick, his anger problem and Tran was just perfect – from the (as always) great flashbacks to Young Nick to the awkward water massage which became a fantastic recurring gag throughout the episode, this plot had me laughing like nothing New Girl has done before and Jake Johnson’s performance was note-perfect throughout (he’s pretty much guarranteed a spot on my Emmy ballot next year). Jess’ experiences while going through her ‘time of the month’ were also great and that interview scene was second only to the first massage scene in awesomeness (Zooey Deschanel was brilliant again here). What I particularly liked about this how Jess and Nick’s plot’s paralleled each other, allowing the side characters to bounce off them quite nicely (Schmidt and Winston both had good stories here) and this really cements this episode as an almost perfect episode of comedy.

2. Don’t Trust the B—— In Apartment 23 “Sexy People…” A-

Some criticized this episode as a lame Devil Wears Prada parody, others bemoaned the People magazine product placement. I, on the other hand, prefer to think of it as a really great episode of Apartment 23 which confirmed this show’s strengths and (re-)proved the talents of its three main actors. Chloe’s (largely successful) attempt at manipulating People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ (or ‘Sexiest Man of the Year’ – I wasn’t clear which title the winner got) in favor of JVDB was highly entertaining, with Chloe’s destructive style of human interaction playing very well in an office setting (Krysten Ritter was on fire here). The other half of this episode was also hugely entertaining – June’s gawky worship of whoever won the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ trophy was endearing at first and hilarious once JVDB himself was revealed to be the winner. Dreama Walker was outstanding – there were other great performances in this episode and this week of television, but hers was the best – hilarious and resonant on so many levels. Apartment 23 went bold with this episode, and while that didn’t always work last season, it worked very well in this very, very good episode.

3. Ben and Kate “Career Day” A-

I like Ben and Kate. It just *works* as a show and has such a perfectly functioning ensemble, but it hadn’t given me a ‘great’ episode yet – until this week, where the show scored a touchdown with this really entertaining episode. Ben and Tommy setting up a wine-delivery service was great from the minute this scheme was hatched, especially as it gave Nat Faxon and Echo Kellum a ton of great stuff to do (I especially enjoyed Tommy’s impersonation of his relatives – this may have been the first episode where Kellum beats Lucy Punch in the sidekick-rankings) and the ending to this plot was perfect, as the jealous husband gave chase to Ben in a terrific scene which was the highlight of the episode, linking in well with Kate’s plot. Dakota Johnson and Geoff Stults were both doing great work here, as Kate’s attempts to have something resembling romance were hilariously hijacked by Ben’s overprotectiveness and general misfortune. Kate’s speech about how everything Ben said about her was right deeply resonated with me and this plot continued Ben and Kate’s success with its style. All-in-all, this episode (despite a slightly weaker C-plot) confirmed my belief that Ben and Kate is one of the best new shows of the season and one with real heart.

For my take on Homeland, Suburgatory, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and much more, including my paragraph launching the dogs of war against Whitney (sorta), read below:

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My TV Rankings, Week 16

My rankings for the eighteen new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, October 28th to Saturday, November 3rd:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Homeland “Q&A” A+

Best episode of Homeland this season, best episode of Homeland ever, best episode of television in 2012. The various ‘best of’s’ this episode could win are endless, because this was simply an astounding episode of television which managed to entertain and compel on a level which only a few other shows have ever matched (think “Pine Barrens” from The Sopranos, “The Suitcase” from Mad Men etc.). I have already mentioned how awesome Claire Danes and Damian Lewis are in every rankings post I’ve done this fall, but words fail me when attempting to describe the genius of their performances here. There were just so many levels to the acting here, as Carrie and Brody faced-off in an interrogation room and put all the cards on the table. That fifteen minute scene between the two was so incredibly electric, tense and mind-blowing that I can remember every moment of it (and my reactions) a week after watching it. Even when taking out that main scene, the rest of the episode was almost perfect – the shock of Quinn stabbing Brody, Estes attempting to fool Jessica and everything except for the Dana/Finn plot, which I’m a little worried about but still didn’t manage to take this episode down from the ‘all-time classic’ level.

2. The Thick Of It “Episode Seven” A

Well, it’s over. After twenty-one episodes (and two specials), The Thick Of It shut its doors with a fantastic finale which works perfectly as a conclusion to this brilliantly dark comedy. After last week, it was clear that Malcolm was in deep, deep trouble, having committed perjury at the inquiry and his downfall here was just mesmerizing. Peter Capaldi inhabits this character so incredibly well and this episode had more than a few brilliant examples (mostly unprintable) of this, with his final statement (a simple “doesn’t matter”) really concluding the story for Malcolm in a wonderful manner. The other heads which rolled here also got their moment in the sunshine – Stewart’s speech about attempting to reform an unreformable party will probably be used a lot in anti-Conservative discourse over the next few years and Glenn effectively saying “f**k off” individually to everyone he worked with was another highlight (“Peter, I hope your c**k falls off”!). Although the absence of classic characters such as Jamie and Julius prevented this from being completely perfect, it was still a fitting send-off for this brilliant show.

3. Don’t Trust The B—— In Apt. 23 “Love and Monsters” A-

For the first time in its short lifespan, Apt. 23 tried something really interesting and ambitious here, and it pulled it off quite well. Chloe ruining someone’s life is the sort of thing which the show has done before, but adding so many layers of complexity, both plot-wise and tonally (and having success with it) is pretty impressive for this young show. Krysten Ritter has been criticized for her acting outside of this and Breaking Bad, but this performance was a good example of how fantastic she can be with the right material, moving from sweet to malevolent in a beat. The other half of the central duo at the heart of the show, Dreama Walker was also on form here (how awesome was that Hobbit outfit?), with June’s obsession over Chloe being together with Ben providing a lot of good laughs (including a nice Happy Endings crossover) and the whole ‘rom-com’ aspect to it was also pretty neat. JVDB’s B-plot was pretty insubstantial, but some good costumes and some excellent Luther moments (“Mario doesn’t hold hands on the subway…I don’t know….we’ll see….I don’t know”) made it a pretty enjoyable side story in this fun and impressive episode.

Read below for my take on New Girl, The Good Wife, Malibu Country (yuck!), Happy Endings and much more:

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My TV Rankings, Week 15

My rankings for the twenty-three new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, October 21st to Saturday, October 27th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Homeland “New Car Smell” A

I was heavily anticipating this episode of Homeland and I was not disappointed. From Carrie and Brody running into each other at the CIA to their fateful meeting in the hotel (bar and room), this episode crackled with energy and tension like no other. It’s no surprise that Meredith Stiehm, who wrote last year’s excellent “The Weekend” was behind this episode, which is a perfect look at Carrie and Brody’s relationship. Although it was nice to see Brody under surveillance again (Virgil and Max are back! - and the new Quinn character is pretty intriguing), I’m glad the show cut straight to the chase by taking Brody down. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis were absolutely perfect in the cataclysmic scene, with Carrie’s “it reeks” speech this show’s “I am the danger” moment. Just perfect. Given how awesome the main plot was, it’s a sign of strength that the Dana/Finn plot was able to keep up pretty well. Finn may be a bit of a douche, but Morgan Saylor is brilliant in these scenes and Dana standing up to the VP was really great. Sadly, the Mike plot was a dampener on the rest of the episode – I honestly can’t imagine these two bozos figuring out the truth about Brody that easily. But other than that, this was a perfect episode.

2. The Thick Of It “Episode Six” A

In its penultimate episode (ever), The Thick Of It did something really interesting. It abandoned it’s signature style and went with its setting, the Goolding Inquiry to deliver a typical British committee/inquiry-style of camerawork familiar to anyone whose followed UK politics over the last few years. Did it work? Some people have said it was boring, I think it was brilliant. This episode of The Thick Of It looked at the characters from a very different angle. When the pressure’s on and they are being publicly questioned with little room to dodge and weave, some manage to master and manipulate (Malcolm, although he may have been fatally damaged here), others bluster (Ollie and “silverback gorilla” Phil), some shove the blame onto others and get totally slapped down as a result (Emma), some use the opportunity to settle old scores (Glenn), some struggle to weave complex metaphors about their position (“shepherdess” Terri) and some behave like the same idiots they are in private (Robyn), but all are confounded and confronted by the Inquiry in a manner which may destroy more than a few of them. I’m very sad that this show is ending, because this is the most brutally honest look at UK politics that anyone has done and this episode is the prime example of this brilliance

3. Last Resort “Skeleton Crew” A/A-

After a couple of weak episodes, Last Resort got back on track with an episode which not only replicated the brilliance of the pilot, but even managed to improve on it. Having Secretary Curry and Co come to the island to ‘negotiate’ with Marcus and Sam was an excellent step for the show to take, especially as it created real tension between Marcus and Sam, which culminated in a couple of brilliant scenes between Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman beside the negotiating table. Paralleling these scenes with the high-risk mission the sub was on was another excellent creative choice, and it resulted in high tension and some great action-drama. Daisy Betts’ performance has come under criticism from some quarters, but I found her work here to be really great – she exudes some real steeliness as Lt. Shepard. Having her, the COB (Robert Patrick was particularly awesome this episode), the French woman and random Navy SEAL on the boat resulted in some pretty great character combinations. Combine all these different elements with a decent DC-based plot and you have a really kickass episode of Last Resort. If there’s one complaint I have it’s on a visceral level – I really wanted them to get the deal signed. Even though this would end the show, I can’t help but have a negative emotional reaction to the failure of the deal. But still, great episode all-round.

For my take on New Girl, Scandal, Revenge, Boardwalk Empire, Suburgatory, Happy Endings and much, much more, read below:

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My TV Rankings, Week 13

My rankings for the twenty new episodes of television I watched from Sunday, October 7th to Saturday, October 13th:

SPOILERS BELOW:

1. Homeland “Beirut Is Back” A-

Well, that was a rollercoaster episode. When Homeland comes out with a thrilling 47 minutes like that the feeling is incredible, I gasped at least five times during the episode (including that final twist). This show can do tension like no other and this episode was a prime example of why people with heart disease should avoid this show at all costs! Nevertheless, the episode was weakened by some of the contrivances, which even if they exacerbate the brilliant tension should still be kept to a minimum. Brody being let into a top-secret room to watch a top-secret mission is bad enough, but the fact that he gets a signal on his phone down there let alone his ability to text Abu Nazir is a step too far and makes me wonder how many other shortcuts Homeland will take to create tension. Despite these issues, I can’t ignore the fact that this was one of the most viscerally exciting episodes of the television season so far and a sign the show is going all-out to entertain us this year. Maybe the Brody stuff (also including the Mike plot) was a little weak, but Carrie and Saul’s mission in Beirut (if Claire Danes doesn’t win another Emmy next year then….) was just the sort of thing that makes Homeland so incredibly awesome.

2. Boss “Clinch” A-/B+

This was the best episode of Boss I’ve ever seen, and one where the show actually looked like it could be less like The Wire-lite and more like an actual episode of The Wire (with more crazy stuff). I honestly thought Kane was done here, after the events of last week and the failure of almost everything he tried this week I was convinced he’d lose here, only to be called back in some way in the next episode, but no, he’s still standing and almost all his foes were co-opted or defeated in compelling fashion here. Boss is not a show for idealists, whether you are a character or a viewer, which becomes extremely clear here when Mona, the only character in this show who has something resembling integrity sees the Lennox Gardens housing project she’s fought for get turned into a casino and gets effectively applauded for her naivete. I’m still not convinced Kane is out of the woods yet, given how this episode ended with Kitty driving away with Doyle, but this episode proved that if you know how to tend to the machine known as urban municipal politics in an appropriately corrupt and dark manner, power is yours to lose. Cynical but captivating.

3. The Good Wife “And The Law Won” B+

As well as its inability to balance multiple storylines with a case-of-the-week (something I talked about in depth last week), the third season of The Good Wife also made a big mistake in relegating Alicia to the sidelines for much of the season. She’s the lead character, but other than the Will affair (and the problems with the grand jury that caused) and the whole ‘buying the old house’ plot, I honestly can’t remember her doing much of note last season. So it’s great to see this episode setting the ground for a very strong Alicia-season of the show. Maura Tierney made a great impression on me as Alicia’s new friend, and whether her interest in Alicia has an ulterior motive (getting close to Peter? getting Alicia into political or judicial office?) or is completely benign, her story arc this season got off to a very interesting start here. Will’s first case back was also a good story, especially as it gave us more insight into the financial problems of the company, Illinois jury law (as a law student I find this stuff extremely interesting) and the powers of Nathan Lane’s character. Had it not been for Kalinda (whose story arc has been a waste of time this season) this would have been a great episode.

Read below for my take on New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, my rant on Beauty and the Beast and lots more:

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