TV Roundup

Today was the last day of April, and there were flurries. Yup. SNOW. Gah. I'm trying to get this stupid research paper started, but the words just aren't happening. Grr.

Grey's Anatomy 4.12
You know what, I didn't hate this episode. It had all the hallmarks of a shitty ep, doctors acting like children, stupid subplots, overt metaphors... But... it worked? I would hate to think that my doctors have running contests involving my health, I mean, really? But what kept that plot grounded was Izzie and her patient, who reminded us how ridiculous and insensitive the entire concept is. I mean, Meredith shouted with glee upon discovering her patient had a brain tumor! That was just so hilarious, that I could imagine a young doctor getting caught up in the excitement of the game. That's the key to doing an absurd subplot, just include a few characters to ground the entire concept in reality. Side note: if this happened irl, the hospitals would be so liable, because having a context in live and death scenarios? That's a law suit waiting to happen.
 
Um, I thought there was more I had to say about this episode, but I guess not. Derek and his lady? Eh. Shonda already said MerDer 4 eva, so this is just unnecessary "drama". And the obnoxious animal theme... I just let the themes go. I mean, face it, Grey's is a guilty pleasure. There was a time when it was a great drama, probably around the second season, but ever since it never really got its groove back. So with my new standards for the show, this one wasn't half-bad. Shockingly, I liked it...
 

The Office 4.11
I know I've been pretty hard on The Office (US) lately, but I'm going to say it. I. LOVED. THIS. EPISODE! Maybe it was Ryan spending the entire episode high, or maybe it was Dwight getting it on with a college basketball player, or maybe it was Jim showing he would make a terrible leader, or maybe it was that the entire office hates Pam and Jim...
 
I'll start with the boys in the city! Ryan shows up to Scranton to tell the grunts they have to work Saturday because the Dunder Mifflin Infinity wasn't working and they need to enter stuff. Basically, the whole online thing is failing miserably. Ryan lets it slip that NY clubs have all the babes, so obvs Michael and Dwight drop in on him in NYC. Well, I should have known it would take more than alcohol to get Ryan hugging Michael. Ryan and his half-beard were enjoying the Columbian nose candy a little too much. The big bad city ate our boy up. I kind of miss old Ryan the temp, but I hope he bounces back (maybe he needs to get fired or demoted).

Dwight! I. LOVE. YOU. The ladies were throwing themselves at you, bro! I always loved Dwight, even if he is the most out there of the US character incarnations, but Rainn makes it work. I was dying when Michael snapped the picture and sent it to EVERYONE! Such a Michael thing (and a David Brent thing). And when Dwight was all, "I'm not calling her", oh you are so awesome. Only Dwight wouldn't appreciate a tall, leggy blond.

Back in Scranton, is was nice to see the minor characters. Lately it seems most of the action occurred outside the office, so I was happy to see everyone. Kelly, I wish you had more to do (but props to Mindy Kaling for writing this boss episode). Her few lines were so amazing. "I have a lot of questions. Number one, how dare you?" - Kelly to Ryan. But the real focus was Pam and Jim. Obviously. But this time, everyone hated both of them. I think the majority of the office hate them together, and that showed. Jim was portrayed in a much harsher light, making racial gaffes a la Michael (awkwardly asking the security guard if he was the African American, assuming the cleaning people only spoke Spanish). Jim really isn't all that slick, and I think this episode was from more of the coworkers perspective, showing the viewer that our hero is just another grunt.

Toby. Aw, poor fella. Side note: The dude has intense fence-hopping skills. I loved the awkward moment with his hand on Pam's knee. I mean, what were you trying to do there, Tobes? But I could totally see that happening, and if you think about it, Jim did similar things when Pam was with Roy. The difference is Toby doesn't have that kind of friendship with Pam to begin with. See you in Costa Rica, Toby.

So, yeah, Best. Night. Ever. I was legitimately concerned that I was losing touch with this show. I was indifferent to displeased with episodes everyone loved, and I couldn't help but utter the B-word, British. But this episode was simply delightful, and I'll be looking forward to next week and a continuation of some of the plots from this week.

30 Rock 2.13
I hate when this show has hilarious moments, and then it includes a kind of lame subplot. The whole porn-video game? Wasn't my cup of tea. Sure there were funny jokes involved, but some moments just didn't work, like Frank having his "NOOOOOO!!" moment. Fell flat for me, personally.
 
BUT! Dr. Spaceman! Yes! I love that continuity! Also? Will Arnett. He == awesome.

Like any 30 Rock episode, this one shined with its one liners
Liz - "Suck it monkeys! I'm going corporate!"
Liz to Frank - "You look like Gene Simmons had sex with a basset hound!"
Jack - "Hugging is so ethnic"

I will officially start calling flutes "music sticks"
Business drunk, which is clearly more dignified than drunk. Duh.
 
Um plot-wise... Geiss is in a diabetic coma (way to go Liz), and Jack doesn't get the promotion. Way to go Banks. I'm hoping awesomeness will ensue and maybe a confrontation when Geiss wakes up.

 
Battlestar Galactica 4.06
Baltar isn't really Jesus, right? I mean, BSG wouldn't turn Jesus into the insanely fucked up Baltar from this show, right? Because his whole, love yourself thing sounded vaguely biblical. I'm no theologian, so correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there this whole "love thyself" bit? But... nah, RDM wouldn't make Baltar Jesus.

I like evil Tory. I mean, she straight up went off the deep end after last week's Cally-killing. Going from crying during sex with Baltar to initiating the sex with Baltar... She even fed him some of her gospel. We're all perfect, so no guilt! I wonder if Roslin's noticed a difference. We haven't seen much of them together since the premiere, have we? I wonder if Tory's going to even try to hide it anymore.

Clearly Tigh became interested in turning off the pain. He's been pretty disturbed lately, and I think he actually wondered if it could be done. So enter Caprica Six/Ellen to really mess with Tigh's mind. It was probably more like Tigh's mind messing with him, but I digress. Yay Ellen! I wouldn't be shocked if she were the final Cylon, but it wouldn't be Ellen, because I doubt there was a Final 5 resurrection ship near New Caprica. But oh the drama that would bring. I can't imagine things would end well for Tigh if that happened.

I wonder what's going on with the Cylon fleet. Interesting there wasn't any sort of resolution. And barely a peep from Starbuck and her motley crew. Hopefully we get some development next week.

Tyrol's a mess. I think he's the most aware of how crappy it is that he's a Cylon. I don't think it's such a terrible idea to get away from Galactica. I mean, how sure are these 4 Cylons that they're not going to be triggered. They can't know. No matter how many times they repeat who they are, it wouldn't help them if some greater purpose turned them into killing machines. But then again, if the four were planted in the fleet to further the human cause, then Tyrol leaving is a bad thing. But as of now, he's just screwing up and putting lives in danger.

Interesting theory of the week. So I was in my comp sci lab, and one of my TA's said, "Cally's a Cylon." And I was like, "No. Cally and Tyrol have a child." His thought is that the Cylon - Cylon fertility problem is psychological (love), and since Cally and Tyrol had no clue what they were, they conceived and have a spawn. Now, I think this is highly unlikely, but it would be an amazing twist, and it would make that child the single most important thing for the Cylons. Think about the fertility problems, we've seen both a male and female Cylon become parents, so we know it isn't that one gender is deficient. Six went on and on about love and how that is why Cylons can't have babies... Or genetically, the Cylons' genes are too powerful and won't let them reproduce (like mules, but they're sterile). Just thought it was interesting.

Doctor Who 4.04
I was worried about this episode, I mean, it was a two part Martha story written by the woman who wrote "Daleks in Manhattan"... But it seems I didn't need to fear, the story and Martha got the proper treatment they deserved! I'll start with Martha. I was glad her call to the Doctor was business, I was worried it would come off as Martha being needy and just wanting to travel. It seems our gal's gotten settled! Engaged and working, I'm glad. I'm not sure if she's over the Doctor, but I'm glad she's moved past the pining, because with Rose returning, that could get ugly. Speaking of Rose, glad there were no Rose returning mentions, this episode needed to have a solid Martha focus, and to have another Rose reminder would have been unnecessary.

Oh Doctor, I loved that beat when he stepped out of the TARDIS and just looked at Martha. He just looked so conflicted, but then it was right back to fun Ten. But that moment was amazing, like acknowledging how badly he felt, if only for a second. But then there was that happy reunion hug, and then Donna. Ten was so funny with his, "please don't fight" and how he held his breath as Donna told Martha how much Ten said about her. I don't think he's ready for Martha to know how badly he feels. It wouldn't be in his character to acknowledge that to her. But Donna and Martha got along quite well, it wasn't like the Rose/Sarah Jane mini-bitchfest, which was good. The more Martha is separated from Rose the better, I think if the two will meet, the writers need to send her down her own path, with her own ideas and actions. I'm not suggesting she suddenly stops loving the Doctor, but she's matured enough to realize how much Rose meant to him, and how she's not Rose, so she can move on and be at peace with her choices. She made that clear to Jack on Torchwood when talking about her decision to leave the Doctor. Martha's really come into her own, I loved seeing her with her walkie-talkie giving commands and whatnot. Sure Donna was all "you turned her into a soldier!", but it was brilliant. That's the kind of take charge attitude I wanted from her last series.

So not only was Martha awesome, but Donna was lighter, too. After a few weeks of heavy moral conflict, we got some light moral conflict. Sure she had her piece about the rights of the workers and the raid on the factory, but it was a brief bit. Overall she was quite snippy, but to the point. I loved her she pwned the UNIT folks with the non-existent sick days. Donna's going to be the kind of companion to look for things no one else would think to check. Awesome. Of course, Martha warned her about putting her family in danger, so Donna took some time. I loved how the Doctor was all sad and upset, trying to keep her on board. Of course it took him longer to realize it was a temporary thing, to which Donna had a really funny bit about how dense he can be. So true, and hilarious. I love when she talks back, it really adds to their relationship.

I love Ten's problem with authority. His extreme dislike of UNIT was so amusing, like the Doctor doesn't do some of the thins they do. He may not use guns, but his weapons are so much deadlier. Nevertheless, he had funny moments about giving orders and saluting. Then he got his own UNIT boy (Ross!). Ten had some great lines concerning Ross, "we like Ross!" Hee!

OK, plot. Sure it's completely unreasonable that EVERY SINGLE CAR has this ATMOS thing. Do you realize how long it takes for technology to become this widespread? Years. But letting that go, the Sontarans were cool. I thought they were going to be cheesy and lame, but they were pretty badass. Little badass warriors who clone people. Yikes. So looks like the Doctor's got quite a bit to deal with next week: Donna's grandad, poison gas, cloned Martha, and an entire race bred for war. Let the Deus ex Machina commence!

OK, the following is speculation for the rest of the series, including spoilers for future episode titles. You've been warned.
So it looks like Davies has gone all out when it comes to seeding in references. We've got lost planets, Rose mentions, missing bees, the Shadow Proclamation (maybe?), and the Medusa Cascade. I'm going to bring up the Medusa Cascade. Apparently there was a rift there that the Doctor closed some time ago. It came up in "The Last of the Time Lords", but I didn't really pay attention (thanks Doctor Who Wiki!) Anyways, RD said that "[the Medusa Cascade] come back to haunt us." Hm... Well that sounds ominous, doesn't it? I wonder what he means. But I don't think it's a coincidence that the Medusa Cascade, with it's former rift, keeps coming up in the series that Rose returns. I wonder if the Cascade is the reason behind Rose's world hopping and the missing planets/bees. Following this trend, the Cascade is the only one of the recurring phrases that has a proper name. Think back, we've had Bad Wolf, Torchwood, and Mr. Saxon. There's really nothing that directly compares. Why bring it up? Well, the second to last episode this series is titleless as of now. The finale has a name ("Journey's End". which probably means I'll be bawling like a baby when it airs), as do all the episodes before the second to last. Interesting. I recall that back in the first series, the episode "Bad Wolf" was left unnamed and was the last of the titles to be revealed that series. Well, if there were an arc word, I would say that this episode would be named that. But there isn't, so all I have to go on is the mysterious Medusa Cascade. But then again, I could be completely wrong, for all I know the episode could be called "Bees" and Rose is coming back because there is a massive Bee infestation. Heh.
 

House 4.13
Oh House and Amber. Doesn't Wilson get a say in anything? I can't be the only person who kept thinking, "Why can't Wilson just choose when to hang out with House? Why does Amber get to choose?" The dude's a grown man, after all. I get the writers wanted to have a cute, funny subplot, but that's all they could do? Don't get me wrong, it was funny, just... poor Wilson.

HEY! DID YOU GUYS GET IT? THE NURSES WERE ON STRIKE! THAT'S LIKE SO REFERRING TO THE WRITER'S STRIKE! AHAHAH WOW! THAT WAS SO SLICK! I BET NO ONE GOT IT BECAUSE IT WAS SO SUBTLE! *eyeroll*

How much would it have sucked if House was angry and bitter because of syphilis? That's like throwing four seasons out the window. Of course, I remember how much less angry he was after that ketamine coma... I love how much of an asshole House can be, like why go through the trouble to put a fake blood sample and trick people into thinking you're mean because of an STD? I guess House is just that kind of douchebag, a very calculating one. Heh.

So how did everyone know 13 was bisexual? Am I the only one who doesn't get a bisexual vibe? Because apparently everyone else does. And she hasn't confirmed or denied it, so I guess House will just try to annoy it out of her. I wonder how many sly mentions he can get, I really liked his "31". Oh Greg.

Kutner (I'm tempted to start calling him Kumar again) wins my award for random diagnostic epiphany of the week. I mean, the dude jumped from point a to point z. It made me think of that time when Chase realized House was wrong and ended up getting punched. Kutner just got a "that should have been my epiphany". I could have used a good House smack down, too.

Oh and Chase? He's apparently House's bowling buddy. Bowling isn't one of the two things men do alone. Hee, awesome one liner. I wonder if their bowling relationship will be shortlived now that Chase is now convinced Cameron slept with House. I'm not sure if she did, but it's odd she didn't just deny it. Like no one would judge her if she said no, actually, I think that's what everyone expected. But she just pulls one of those "none of your business" things, which scream 'guilty'. Maybe she's embarrassed because part of her wanted to sleep with him, so she's keeping mum. As a result, everyone thinks she's knocked boots with House, which, let's be honest, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.