Desperate Housewives

This is one of those shows I watch primarily because I'm not the only one in control of what we watch in this house. I have to say. It's not very good. The premier showcased a new character, and also an old Soprano's actress, always an interesting find. That said, the actors (with the possible exception of Felicia Huffman) and the plots are silly. The one thing I can say definitively is that the writers/producers of the show at least know that it's an over dramatic, silly soap opera. Does anyone out there actually enjoy the show? How come?

House -

So in this episode we're stuck dealing with the hospital sans House. He's finally out of the mental hospital, but his therapist successfully convinces him that he needs to leave the hospital behind, because the stress may lead him to fall back onto his old drug habits. As you might expect, House's departure left a vacuum in the diagnostic department at the hospital, which was quickly filled by Foreman.

So what did I think about this episode. Well, it was not what I had expected. Dr. House seems to be opening up to his therapist fairly easily, something that I suppose is to be expected since he already had his "breakthrough" but I'm a bit skeptical about the different ways he explored to distract from his pain. I do appreciate that this "exploration" took only one episode, and he's clearly heading back to the hospital. I also must admit I enjoyed his forays into the kitchen, for what they were worth.

In general the show was a strong showcase for Dr. Foreman, but I'm eager to see House get back into the hospital doing what he does best. How will his emotional changes alter him as a doctor? We'll find out. What'd you think about this week's episode?

Grey's Anatomy

Oh Grey's Anatomy. How torn you make me. I'll be honest in saying that it's unlikely that I'll abandon the show no matter where it goes. Part of that is the fact that I'm not the only one making television watching decisions in this house, but the other part is that I can (apparently) subsist on brilliant moments far after they've stopped happening regularly. Such is the case in this episode.

I thought there were a few excellent moments in this episode. Chandra Wilson, typically brilliant, was overall, somewhat less so. Most of her forced detachment, although it made sense, still felt false. There were a few moments where she seemed to be unleashed somewhat and was able to bring the traditional sense of Bailey to the show. I thought "Izzy" had some good moments as well. Overall however, the show seemed to be more focused on setting things up for the season, as opposed to really revealing very much. This is not necessarily meant to be a criticism (per se) but it is something that I'd like to see evolve relatively soon.

I'll leave it there for now, but I'd love to hear your comments. This season should be interesting, and I do miss T.R. Knight already. We'll see what happens. What do you want to happen next?

America's Next Top Model

So this episode seemed to be all about the bitch. Bitch Ashley and Bitch Lulu started off the show by making Bianca feel even worse about herself, then they criticize Mathematician Brittany's runway walk right before the challenge. Brittany ended up winning the runway challenge and got a photos hoot in Seventeen Magazine. Not once did they congratulate her. And then they criticized Nicole for having a heart to heart with Bianca. They said that Nicole was naive and Bianca was taking advantage of her. Nicole, as it turns out, is not naive and knew exactly what they were doing. And it doesn't stop there. Bitch Ashley and Bitch Lulu basically criticized everyone on the photo shoot saying they had the best pictures. In the end though karma caught up to them. Lulu was sent home. Apparently she did not rock the photo shoot. Well i hope this takes away Ashley's power and she learns to be nice. But more than likely she'll just suck someone else down into that black hole.

Mercy

This show is like the primetime ripoff of HBO's Nurse Jackie. I'm not going to say much more about that for those of you waiting to watch it when it comes onto DVD. However Mercy does have some unique differences that interest me. And also i really liked Nurse Jackie so this isn't such a bad thing.
Did anybody else think Michelle Trachtenberg's role reminded you a little too much like little Dawn Summers?
Anyway, I like this show, a little disappointed that it'd already been done but i'm going to try and get past that.

Community Episode 2

Alison's Take - What happened to all the funny?

Gavin's Take - This is a somewhat different format than we usually use for reviews/comments, but I felt that with Alison's somewhat abrupt (justified?) comments, it wasn't worth creating a whole new posting just for some additional notes. First let me say I definitely understand where you're coming from. The episode lacked some of the unique punch that a great comedy has, and was sorely lacking for major laugh out loud moments. That said, I didn't completely hate the episode. There was some character development, and while the Spanish teacher is, for the moment, just another caricature in the show, I have hopes that the other characters will develop into more rounded parts, which will allow him (and some other bit players) to serve as comedic backdrop. Where they belong.

The last thing I'll say is that while the development of characters took something of a step forward in this episode, albeit a relatively small one, it does remain a bit awkward and forced in the development. The writers need to find their voice if the show is going to take off. For the time being, it's safe based on its time slot, but that won't be true forever. Let's all hope they get it together. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Castle

So apparently saying "I'm Sorry" is the cure all for the tension between lead detective Beckett and mystery novelist Castle. That really annoyed me. But I probably hold grudges more that most. I still have it in for that girl in my 7th grade gym class who mocked my last name. But I digress. I suppose the show would be over without the apology. But did he really need to? Sure he violated her trust and snooped into her past. But he had good intentions, right? Or was he just trying to satisfy his own curiosity? Well regardless of whether or not he did wrong, is an apology enough? And does it even count when it's said with selfish intentions?

If anybody else is watching, I'd love your input.