I've once again failed to review this week's episodes individually, and I think at least part of that has been due to the relative lull in excitement in their respective plots. However, we are about to roll into November sweeps, one of the most wonderful times of the (television) year, and I have high hopes for all of our favorites. After all, the pieces are in place for some major hilarity and development, they just seem to require a nudge in the right direction. And I'm just about as lacking in concrete clues as the next person, but I am more than happy to speculate on what we might see over the next few weeks.
How I Met Your Mother: The show has been just a little off its game the past few episodes, which I'm sure can be attributed to an unbalanced cocktail of somewhat awkward guest star appearances and trying just a little too hard for laughs in some cases (the storyline of "Noretta" stands out particularly in my mind). However, if I were a betting man (this would require me, of course, to be both a man as well as someone who gambles), I'd say we're about to see no small amount of drama in Robin and Barney's respective relationships. I don't think we'll get any hints of the two of them together any time soon, but I do think both of their liaisons are going just a bit too well at the moment. I definitely think it would be interesting to see either Kevin or Norah (or both) have a reaction to the obvious continued closeness of Barney and Robin's relationship. What I don't want is to see Barney cheat on Norah, though; I feel like last season made such a commitment to him moving past that part of his personality that it would be a huge waste to send him so many steps backward. And as for Ted, I'd like to see something happen for him soon that feels like a concrete step toward actually finding the mother. The Slutty Pumpkin episode definitely felt like an apt set up for something like this, so I'll be interested to see how they use it.
2 Broke Girls: I have definitely seen an improvement in this show the past few episodes, and they have been gaining that forward momentum I was worried they might lack. It has been nice to see the girls' business actually make tangible (albeit tiny) steps forward, rather than being a plot line that is forgotten and then picked up every once in while when it's convenient. I'm still hoping that Max and Caroline will acquire another friend outside of their little duo (I'm hoping even more that it'll be Johnny and his newly introduced sidekick), because both of them play so well off of others and each other that it's fun to see them interact with new people. I will also admit that I am pulling for that Max/Johnny romance to get off the ground (and what do you know? perfect bait for sweeps!), and for Caroline to meet someone of her own. Also, I think I'd be happy with anything more involving their boss, Han, because he is just too adorable for words.
Up All Night: This is a cute show that is cute. That's what I've gotten from this season so far. Maya Rudolph continues to pull the bulk of the comedic weight, but hey, I will continue to watch her do it because she's hilarious. I'm a little bummed that they didn't do a Halloween episode; I would have thought that'd be a great potential scenario for the new parents, but maybe the week off means they're preparing for something big to come. Actually, scratch that. I don't need it to be big, I just need it to be charming and funny. This show has lost it's way a little bit (I think having the flashback to the birth was kind of a jarring choice, honestly), but I do think that it can be steered back, and with no extraordinary strain.
Community: Okay, two hypothetical/fantasy based bottle episodes in a row stretched my patience a bit, I'll admit. But I will be more than willing to forgive if this show delivers during sweeps. From Community I don't necessarily want gimmicky plot twists for the sake of snagging attention, I just want to see some genuine development for the characters. I feel like season three has seen almost all of them standing still, and it's got to stop soon or we're going to be facing a completely static season (and at some point, the situational comedy just won't be able to compensate). We were promised a lot of development with Abed, particularly concerning his living situation with best friend Troy, and I'm hoping that this has been saved up for November so that we can get a sure to be humorous episode (you saw their apartment in the chaos theory episode, right?), with a dash of something just a little more serious. Also, Britta's taken a bit of a beating lately, so I think it'd be more than okay to back off her for an episode or two.
Parks and Recreation: I admittedly have a bit more intelligence on what's coming on this show than the others, solely because I have a habit of going hunting for tidbits when bored, but in this case it's a good thing, because the next three episode descriptions have me absolutely psyched for what's next. We're going to see Pawnee riding out a potential end-of-days scenario, and Andy has a bucket list! I cannot be the only person who sees so much potential hilarity in the possible items it contains. Also ahead (I don't want to spoil everything): we'll see more of Leslie and Ben interacting (finally), Tom's journey as Entertainment 720 meets its end, and a very small victory for one Leslie Knope. As long as these stories are supplemented by a sharp increase in Ann screen time and a reduction of anything involving Chris, I think we may just have ourselves a couple of near-perfect episodes just in time for the holiday season.
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