TV Review: Community Concludes in a Galaxy Far Far Away

City College Conspiracy!  Star Wars references that I (embarrassingly) only half-get!  Meta-analysis of the show and the group dynamics!  Must be finale time at Greendale Community College. 

And this episode delivered in true Community fashion.  We got an epic conclusion to the paintball war, lots of laughs, and some genuine chaos. 

Things I loved:  the “epic” score throughout the battle sequences; every joke involving Leonard (“I’ve been in several actual wars, but this is the most terrifying”); the smoothness of the motif switchover; Annie and Abed (wtf?); Pierce saving the day in a twist that felt straight out of a cheesy action movie; and so much more.

No shockers like last season’s conclusion, but some lingering questions.  Is Pierce really done with the study group (my money’s on no, but we’ll see)?  Will Annie and Abed pan out, or are we going to be treated to more of her acting like a whiny high school girl next season?  Where was the Troy and Britta payoff (or even additional tiny hint) that I’ve been waiting for?  Why is Shirley not home with her baby (I did love that they poked fun at that)? 

I liked that the show ended on a note that it’s spent most of this season on.  It didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat for next week, but it delivered a lot of unexpected laughs, and I can go into the season three premiere in September ready for more of the same.

TV Review: Glee Pulls Out All the Prom Stops

Glee's prom episode had all the cliche staples:  Shocking prom queen reveal?  Check.  Girl fight?  Check.  Fist fight over a girl?  Check.  Awful music?  Cheeeeecccckkk. 

If we're looking at it the way I tend to look at this show, though, it was actually a pretty successful episode.  That is, it showed us the cheesiness of the high school experience in a very authentic way, and I felt like the characters all acted their purported ages for once (I sometimes feel like they forget the New Directions members are only 17, on average).  Rachel was pretty fantastic this episode, from selflessly helping Finn with his corsage dilemma to coordinating Sam going to prom on the cheap (and inadvertently getting Mercedes her "Cinderella" moment), to the look of genuine heartbreak on her face as she watched Kurt go up to accept his Prom Queen crown.  Quinn continued her trend of being whiny and kind of one-dimensional, though I did like the obvious conflict in her feelings during the bathroom confrontation with Rachel.  I like that this season has tried to really drive home the point that Quinn feels as insecure as any other girl (if not more so), but I think now it's been beaten into us just a little too much.  Move on with this character, writers, there's so much more she can be, and Dianna Agron has a lot of potential that you're risking overlooking.  One other disappointment was Puck, who I feel they consistently shortchange on this show.  He started out with that moment of insight (using that term loosely) about his supposed loss of badass-ness due to his relationship with Lauren, and I was hoping that would head to a moment of genuine understanding for him (i.e. that he's willing to sacrifice his reputation because he really likes his girlfriend, or something similar), but instead we just got another petty attempt at coolness, and a manipulation of poor Artie (yes, I know he made a choice, but Puck should know better by now).  In any event, I just want more from Puck that isn't trite or silly, because I think they've dropped a lot of inadvertent hints at his compelling character, and have scarcely delivered on any.

The Kurt storyline was compelling as always (but that might be largely because Chris Colfer has blossomed into such an incredibly watchable performer), and I loved that they added some dimension to Blaine's character (though I am hoping we'll get an actual last name for him some time in the future-- it can't actually be "Warbler", right?).  I loved the two of them uniting against the hardships they've both faced, and for the first time it really felt like an equal partnership (I think there were early concerns, mine among them, about Kurt jumping into a relationship with the first gay "mentor" figure he encountered; but in this episode it really felt like they each had a lot to offer one another, and Blaine seemed a lot less idealized than usual).  I definitely felt sympathy for Kurt, but I also admired his strength, and I think the show actually sent a really great message out to the teen viewers who might find themselves enduring similar struggles; I really appreciated Kurt's coming to understand that the bullying might never fully go away, but that he could be strong in the face of it and realize that the support of his friends is much more powerful.

The song covers this episode were an even split as far as I'm concerned.  Rachel and Jesse's rendition of "Rollin in the Deep" was a showstopper and enjoyable to watch as well as listen to; "Isn't She Lovely?" as performed by Artie was downright precious; and I really liked the use of Blaine on "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend..." during the climax of the dance.  However, both "Friday" and even "Dancing Queen" seemed too over the top given the context, and as much as I love a good Rachel Berry ballad, the song she sang (basically just to Finn) didn't seem like the best choice for a slow dance tune. 

And since I haven't talked about it, I'll say a little about the return of Jesse St. James.  His arc in this episode seemed pretty boring all things considered, but since he's back for two more I'll be interested to see what happens between him and Rachel.  I just hope they aren't planning to use him exclusively as a Rachel/Finn reunion device; Jonathan Groff is much too talented for that.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother Sets Up for a Game-Changer

Last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother was great in a lot of little ways.  First, it returned us to this season's standard of excellence, with drama and laughs in equal measure.  Josh Radnor was actually tolerable (I think I like him best when he's playing broken heart Ted, whatever that says about me...), and everyone else stepped up their game too.  But the most important thing was that the whole episode felt like it was setting us up for something big coming in next week's season finale.

Of course, I'll issue the standard disclaimer that I could be wrong; HIMYM has always been harder for me to predict, just because it doesn't always seem concerned with following its own narrative arc, but I really do think that last night's episode was fully intended as a lead-in into next week.  We saw the bust-up between Ted and Zoey that had been drawn out for far too long (though it was very eloquently done), and the wrap-up of the sometimes tedious Arcadian story arc.  So we're now headed into the finale with a pretty blank slate, which in television is a fantastic opportunity for just about anything to happen.  As I've mentioned previously, there is a confirmation that we're going to find out the identity of the groom at the wedding (which I'm now hearing will be one year in the future, not the five I predicted), and I'm feeling pretty certain that next week's episode will be devoted toward building to that reveal.  I for one still have my money on Barney, not only because of the evidence I've discussed previously, but because at this point I'm not sure what other direction they could go.  I'm more interested at this point to see how they get to the reveal than the reveal itself, and excited to see how they set us all up for a Season 7 that will live up to the standards set this year.

Parks and Rec Looks at Life on the Other Side of the Fence

Pawnee vs. Eagleton.  Love it!  This show just has so many dimensions that emerge week by week; I can't get enough.  The comparisons were really great, I especially loved the cupcake-induced vanilla air.  I also loved that we got another little snapshot of Leslie's history-- it's getting hard to believe there will be a development that won't make me love her even more.

Parker Posey, who I did not care for up to this point, played typical rich snob Lindsey with the perfect amount of venom and condescension.  And by the time the garbage fight started, you could hardly blame Leslie for tackling her. 

The episode wrapped up on a heartfelt note, restoring our faith in Leslie as the right gal for the job she does.  Loved her conversation with Ron (and loved that it followed the entire episode of him trying to avoid having his birthday celebrated), and loved the baseball league.

There wasn't much of Ben and Leslie during this episode, which I expected given that the emphasis on them has been pretty heavy over the last few episodes.  This is okay with me for two reasons:  one, the episode gave us a great moment of Ben talking Leslie down (and I imagine he's the only one she would've listened to), only further convincing me of their perfect-ness; and two, not only are we getting a double dose of Parks next week, one of them episodes is supposed to center almost entirely on everyone's favorite couple.  I can wait another week to watch that pan out.

TV Review: Community's Western Cliffhanger

Loved the opening, and the performances all around.  I appreciated how willing they were to really go all out this time, and it really felt like a different show.  But that's the appeal of Community-- you get a fresh take every week.  I don't always like when they go for the straight up parody, but this time it worked really well.  The flashbacks particularly were really a great touch.

And of course, guest appearance by one Josh Holloway, last seen on LOST?  Phenomenal.  Although I am wondering whether he is capable of playing outside the rugged cowboy persona (not a complaint, merely an observation).  I loved his showdown with the gang, though, and the sheer volume of references to Sawyer was fantastic. 

I agree wholeheartedly with Abed's assessment:  Annie was "pretty awesome today."  Seriously though, I really appreciated them allowing her to step into the badass spotlight, especially since she's spent most of the season in the little girl role.  On a separate note, should Shirley really have been running around like that?  She just popped out a kid, guys.

Overall, "A Fistfull of Paintballs" really kept the sweeps streak going, particularly after last week's quieter, more dramatic installment.  I loved the ending, which really felt like a film for which I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel (especially with the epic-looking trailer for the next episode).  There's a conspiracy afoot, and I for one can't wait to watch it unfold next week.

TV Review: Glee Actually Steps It Up

Was it just me, or was last night's episode of Glee kind of....good?  I have to admit, it accomplished things I didn't think were possible-- character development (Sam) that actually seemed genuine and compelling, humanizing Quinn a little more in the face of her recent behavior, utilizing Rachel in a way that wasn't as grating as it could have been, wonderful performances from the actors portraying Artie, Brittany, and Santana, and of course what most impressed me, an episode featuring April Rhodes that didn't make me want to throttle something.

Last night was like a throwback to season one-- lots of different things were happening, but none of them really felt forced like they have lately.  I think they did a great job of not beating us over the head with the Fleetwood Mac theme (the real theme was rumors and the damage they can cause, another subtle nod to the infinitely better composition of early season one), and I genuinely enjoyed the use of the school newspaper and Brittany's internet talk show (which I would totally, totally watch) as a medium to forward this plot.

Brittany and Artie's bust-up was genuinely heartbreaking (him calling her stupid was mean, but her reaction made me even sadder); Santana is somehow still compelling with her refusal to acknowledge her sexuality; Rachel's comment about "forgiving your first love anything" actually made sense in the context of Quinn and Finn (though I'm wondering how long they'll stay together while seemingly wanting to punch each other in the face); Schuester's plot was actually interesting-- he quit the boy band (which we were supposed to believe could have been his "big break") out of obligation to his impending family, but he doesn't have that commitment now, and I'm interested to see if maybe when they're in New York for Nationals he gets the Broadway bug and decides to ditch the New Directions for a bit; and of course, Sam.  Sam just broke my heart this episode, not only because who knew Chord Overstreet could act, but because the whole story line was just so real and so true to many families.  I thought they made it really moving and accessible without being over the top in the usual Glee fashion.

Overall, Glee answered the May sweeps call better than I ever expected.  I hope that this carries over into the three remaining episodes, because if it does I may be able to forgive some of season two's more spectacularly stupid moments.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother Slows Things Down

I don't know exactly what it was about last night's episode, of How I Met Your Mother, but for me it just didn't go there.  It is sweeps after all, and this episode felt a lot like filler.  I think the biggest problem is that it is difficult to get invested in the Ted/Zoey relationship now that we've been explicitly told that it won't work out.  I didn't expect them to keep leading us on as though she were the mother, but I just couldn't feel anything about them exchanging "I love you"s or taking a turn in their romance because I'm already thinking about their inevitable breakup.  The show's writer's did this before, with Sarah Chalke's Stella, and it was equally frustrating to watch.  At any rate, I think I just expected more from "The Perfect Cocktail," and for one of the first times this season, the show did not deliver.

It wasn't bad, per se.  There were still a lot of laughs as always (especially in the Marshal/Barney plot), but with only a couple of episodes left to go I had really hoped the show would continue to ride the momentum it's spent the season building.  Instead, it stalled a little bit, and I'm wondering if the final two installments will be able to make up for that.