CBS

I like Barney and Nora.  I really don’t like Robin and Kevin.  And yet despite all that, I enjoyed this episode.  The perfect combination of humour and heart.  The staple of HIMYM. Oh and the double-meaning of Disaster Averted.

On every show, there are couples people love and couples people dislike.  Unfortunately, I always seem to be on the wrong side of the writers.  I always liked Robin & Ted and never liked Barney & Robin. To go along with that, the new Barney and Nora was perfect.  Nora seemed to change Barney in a way that no one else had before.  Now, it looks like Kevin and Nora will both be leaving the show next week.

But, let’s talk about the first natural disaster of the show, hurricane Irene.  It was a small flashback episode, which gave us a good opportunity to see Lily pre-pregnancy again and to encapsulate a major event in New York.  It figures that Ted would be a real boy scout and that everyone would find his preparedness annoying.  But, it was the phone calls from the group’s parents that really made the story this week.  And, specifically Robin’s lack of one.  Her father has always been a disciplinarian (both version of him,) but you still think he cares.  Turns out he does, but that hesitation before his call, gave Barney a chance to show his affection for Robin.

And that brings us to the second disaster that was averted; Robin & Barney cheating on their partners.  So, that disaster actually happened, which begs the question, how will Nora and Kevin find out?  And how quickly can Kevin get off the show?  But, honestly, it just made me mad that Barney would do that to Nora.  She’s going to be crushed.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Barney & Robin’s Kids Would Be More Than Half Canadian

Now that we know that Barney is 1/4 Canadian, Robin & Barney would have 5/8 Canadian kids.

2. Always With The Bear

I like that Marshall’s fear of death always involved being mauled by a clearly fake bear.

3. That Song At The End Of Disaster Averted (HIMYM 709)

It’s called Hey by the Pixies and it was a great choice for the scene.

CBS

The long-awaited return of the Slutty Pumpkin, now known as Naomi (Katie Holmes), was tonight and surprisingly, it felt like the b-story of the night.  What could top a Slutty Pumpkin?  Barney being Canadian.

Okay, so he’s only 1/4 Canadian (his grandmother on his father’s side,) but that’s still something.  And, it gave the show yet another excuse to poke fun at their neighbours to the north.  We got the requisite accent and hockey references, but there was also mention of the Barenaked Ladies, Justin Bieber and Canadian Whiskey.  It was especially great to see Robin cross-checking Barney and Ted for discussing Ted’s sexual relationship with Naomi.

Lily and Marshall were off contemplating a move to the suburbs, which felt a little forced.  Marshall would seemingly love the suburbs, yet fought incredibly hard to keep Lily from using her “pregnancy brain” to keep her grandparents’ house.  It was a rare miss for the show, and it wasn’t distracting as much as forgettable.  Okay, the “World’s Worst Showcase Showdown” and Marshall’s reaction to winning the skinny mic was hilarious.  But, other than that.

I think the writers must have felt like there was nothing they could do to match the hype around the Slutty Pumpkin besides having her be the titular Mother, which wasn’t going to happen; so instead, they went the exact opposite direction.  Though, I think Katie Holmes would have been better used in another role.  She just has a warm presence that doesn’t come across as awkward or chemistry-free.  This sounds weird before I write it, but it felt like they tried not to have chemistry, even though they did have some.  I’d rather have seen her married or unattainable.

Barney and Robin made up for any other shortcomings this week with the best pranks and storyline.  Barney’s father is Facebook friends with everyone in the group except Barney.  And, that’s how Robin finds out that Barney is 1/4 Canadian.  And she goes so far as to buy him a RCMP (The Mounties) outfit for Halloween.  I love that Barney never backs down though. He wears his all-American outfit, even dropping a flag behind him and playing James Brown’s Living In America (great song choice!)

Luckily, there was no sight of Kevin this week, but we were also without Nora, so that balanced itself out nicely.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. The Ducky Tie Was Even Worn with Barney’s Halloween Costume

Around the arm, while topless.  That’s dedication to the bet.

2. Since Justin Bieber Was Knee-High To A Snow Blower…

That references the common phrase: knee-high to a grasshopper, but cleverly goes Canadian.

3. The Barenaked Ladies Song…

It’s One Week and a terrible choice for having sex.

4. Lily & Marshall Missed Halloween?

I don’t remember seeing their costumes at all.  Sucks, especially after this was shown not too long ago.

CBS

Carey got the focus this week dealing with a Lockhart Gardner case and with internal office politics; literally, as Carey’s office space changed three times this week.  We also met Eli’s ex-wife Vanessa (Parker Posey), though it looks like she won’t be coming back any time soon.

What became quite clear this week is that outside of the main storyline of Lockhart Gardner and Alicia and Carey, the direction The Good Wife takes isn’t planned out too far in advance.  There are just too many great storylines that should have a longer arc that don’t, and too many great actors who drop-in and leave too quickly.  This week beside Vanessa, we also saw Carey’s romantic escapade with (now former) co-worker, Dana Lodge (Monica Raymund).  Raymund is probably best known from the fan-favourite, Lie To Me, and is now leaving the show.  Carey having a partner may have resembled the Law & Order style crime scene scenarios, but added a colleague and depth that we rarely see with Carey these days.  His interactions are always with superiors and competitors, never with colleagues.  Maybe we’ll see Dana again, but if we do, my guess is she shows up at Lockhart Gardner, not as Carey’s confidant.  They weren’t the most convincing couple, but the sound of those seatbelts unbuckling was incredibly sexy.  The build-up to consummation is what this show excels at.

Seeing Eli’s ex-wife as an intellectually equivalent woman was nice, and also made for great back-and-forth between Eli and Vanessa.  It’s a shame Vanessa “slept with a Bin Laden” and can’t run for office.  That revelation completely closed the door on any more appearances by Parker Posey in the political scene, but perhaps she could come back and work on Peter’s campaign or alongside Eli in some other way.  Their chemistry was great and Posey is a very talented actor.  This show portrays very strong women and Vanessa was no exception.  Too bad they all end up leaving.

Not too much drama among the regulars, but it does look like Will and Alicia are moving toward a more real and public relationship.  That should be fun to see unveiled.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. BSOD On Apple’s Mac

Apple clearly pays to have their computers on the show (superfluous iPad usage anyone?) but this week they took a Windows-eque screen and put them on Mac laptops. (This is the real one, btw)

2. Stop Light Party vs Spectrum Party

Stop Light parties are real, but I think Spectrum parties are referring to Rainbow parties, which are more urban legend than real.

3. After Death Space? Really?

The Good Wife often tackles social media and current affairs, but calling memorial pages “After Death Space” was just weird.

CBS

The rest of the episode matter little compared to this gem.  Lisbon’s brother, Tommy, played by none other than Henry Thomas.  Who’s Henry Thomas?  None other than Elliott from E.T. The most famous kid to ride a bike in the sky ever.

As usual, the Case-of-the-Week (COTW) is less interesting than how Jane manages to capture the killer.  Of course, if they showed the audience everything Jane saw, we might be able to guess along with him, but it’s still fun to see him outsmart everyone on every case.  It felt like this week there may end up being two murderers, but that ended up being only half right.  Carmine O’Brien was a fugitive, but no murderer.  It all came down to a standard drug deal.

I couldn’t help but think that Officer Price (Malcom Barrett) was still Lem from Better Off Ted, but alas that show is no longer.  He looked to be a prime suspect in the murder, but he was just an honest cop who was upset over his boss’ death.  A nice, realistic cop on TV.

Lisbon’s niece, Annabeth or Annie (Madison McLaughlin) was great with Teresa.  I almost wish she could stick around for a couple weeks, get some tutelage from Jane and show us more of Lisbon’s softer side.  But I doubt we’ll see her again for  quite awhile.

We’ve settled in for the COTW plots only for now.  I think during sweeps we may see some stronger arcs and storylines.  Not a bad week though.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Lisbon’s A Strong Tackle

When her family is at stake, she really knows how to fight.

2. Van Pelt & Rigsby. It’s Over.

They have absolutely no chemistry anymore. Let’s let them grow apart naturally.

3. Teresa’s Nickname

Reece.  I like it.  It’s cute and fun and can only come from family.

CBS

It was a jam-packed week on How I Met Your Mother this week with Barney’s brother James (Wayne Brady), Nora (Nazanin Boniadi) playing a big role, and Kal Penn sticking around as Kevin for another week (regrettably.)  Oh and every one of the gang’s parents show up in creepy cameos.

It was an awkward episode, with Barney’s Mom kissing Barney (eww,) Lily’s Dad, Marshall’s Dad, Robyn’s Dad, and Kevin’s Mom all showing in the mind’s of their children as the have intimate moments with their partners.  It was a funny idea and it’s always great to see so many great actors playing these roles, but it may have been a bit much for 20 minutes.  That was topped with every horrible thing possible happening to Nora in one night.

It probably looked so funny on paper as a script, and perhaps even read out loud, but put it all together with the visuals and it just went a bit past the mark.  Wayne Brady is funny enough to get more screen time as a full guest star.  Same with Bill Fagerbakke, Marshall’s Dad.  Actually, same goes for Robin’s Dad (Ray Wise) and Lily’s and Barney’s mom for that matter.  What is great is that all of those actors agreed to come on the show in such small roles.  It shows how much they like the show to show up for a tiny scene like that.

Barney and Nora’s quest for sex was an equally off-putting storyline, but the best part of it is how their relationship is working out.  The group as a whole is feeling more mature.  Everyone is happier in their relationships, the Eriksons are having a baby, and Ted is calmer with his singledom.  Barney is enjoying the idea of a relationship and isn’t scared off by the small things that go wrong with Nora.  In fact, while everyone else is creeped out that their partners resemble their parents, Barney’s proud of it.  It was a good moment in an uneven episode.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. The Ducky Tie is Still Here

Seriously, all season?  Wow.

2. Nora’s Got A Good Voice

And so does Barney’s Mom.

CBS

The best episodes of The Good Wife are when the COTW (Case-Of-The-Week) fades into the background and makes room for the backroom deals, negotiations, and backstabbing that goes on behind-the-scenes at Lockhart Gardner.  With Lisa Edelsetin back as Celeste Serrano, David Lee (Zach Grenier) trying to get his niece a job, and Eli working for Peter again, this week was particularly juicy.

It was such a packed episode, I didn’t even mention the appearance of Colin Sweeney (Dylan Baker), the psychotic wife-murder who just happened to be the only other person BCCed on an email to implicate an airline that Alicia is trying to sue.  Sweeney loves to toy with people and Alicia’s stoic expressionless moments with him are both intriguing and fascinating.  Alicia tries to use Sweeney to help her win the case for the families of victims who died in an airplane crash, but instead Sweeney uses Alicia to gain his freedom.

And that’s really what this show is all about. People using people.  Carey uses Lockhart Gardner’s need for Sweeney to secure  a conviction against a white supremacist, brilliantly playing his leverage for a stronger deal.  We’re seeing Carey become this powerful lawyer and it’s incredible to see how he learns to use the system to move forward.

David Lee uses Alicia to hire his niece, Caitlin (Anna Camp), without the appearance of nepotism, throwing Alicia under the bus in the process.  Unsurprisingly, Will used David Lee to secure Alicia’s job in a similar situation a few years ago and returns the favour by choosing Caitlin over Alicia’s pick, Martha.  I appreciated Will’s honesty and outlook, “Caitlin’s often surprise you.”  And, in fact, it felt like Alicia’s preferred choice was just more compatible with her values as opposed to necessarily the best lawyer.  But, that’s the thing about this world, people use you whenever they can, and Alicia was stung this week.

Eli’s trying to use Alicia to get Peter into the Governorship, though we probably won’t see the repercussions of that til next week.  And, then there is Kalinda.  The one person who uses others but refuses to reciprocate for anyone else.  It’s an interesting character trait, especially on this show.  Kalinda and Eli are still incredible together and it’s a shame Kalinda is still loyal to Alicia.  For the show’s sake, it would be enjoyable to see them handle the race for election together, but for Kalinda’s sake, I understand her friendship needs.

And with all of that, we haven’t even mentioned Celeste, the new female powerhouse that is making a play for Alicia’s new friend.  It’s rare to have Julianna Margulies’ charisma matches, but Edelstein manages to hold her own and sometimes steal the limelight.  It goes to show how amazing her addition to the cast would be for The Good Wife, but alas it looks like her run ended with this episode.  She may be back for a few more, and hopefully they can convince her to stay for the long haul.

A small side-note, that introduction, juxtaposing the introduction of the case with the man buying a gun for the first time and assembling it with one bullet is a good example of the excellent cinematography on this show.  When it’s done well, as it was this week, The Good Wife feels like a movie.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Finally, Someone Noticed The Crazy Tutor

She’s 22 and including Grace in public, sexualized street performances…hmm what could be wrong with that?

2. Eli Knows The Marriage Is Over

He’s promising Donna Brazile that Peter and Alicia will be together, but he doesn’t know that it’s possible.

3. Alicia’s Looks

The look of exasperation at the tutor pictured above and the look of regret, possibly knowing Celeste was right about Will; he may disappoint her.

CBS

A pretty good mid-season episode with no important references to any longer story arc. Of course, we did see some anger issues from Van Pelt, after being completely level-headed last week, so there was that…

Two killers on one tiny little island was a fun twist on The Mentalist.  Jane managed to scoop up the murder of Talia Suarez and her father in one island-size net.  It was a little obvious that Whit was involved in some way once they mentioned his injury.  Any injury incurred by an incidental character on the show is a clue that he or she was involved in the murder somehow.  A little TV 101 for you people out there.

Aside from Jane whipping the residents of the island town into  furor over housing a murderer in their community, this episode was fairly generic.  It was nice to have Lisbon back with the entire team working on the one big case, but instead of a smooth team effort, we had Van Pelt get caught with two complaints against her conduct.

Now, I understand why she was reprimanded for pouring coffee on the social worker, the woman was a jerk.  But, a little bruise to a suspect after he threw an elbow at her face?  I thought that she acted pretty appropriately in that circumstance.  But clearly, we are supposed to think she’s not all better after the death of her fiancé last year.  Even though last week, she was not only fine, but cheerful, apparently she’s not.  Which sucks, because a moody Van Pelt is boring.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Rigsby Is Dating The Public Defender

He’d dump her in a second for Grace, but at least he’s trying to move on.

2. Jane’s A Big Softie

After hearing the coffee lady put a flower in the water for Talia, he concludes the episode by doing the same.

NBC

As predicted, the Luncheonette featured heavily this week with Adam & Crosbie breaking their backs to get ready for their first major artist: Cee Lo Green.  Small coincidence, Cee Lo is on another NBC show, The Voice.  Funny how that happened.

Sarah’s ex-husband Seth (John Corbett) is back for another week and this time he’s promised to get help with is drinking problem.  Of course, Zeek, who has seen Seth’s historic failures is livid, and yells and screams throughout the episode.  But, it did give Joel the chance to stand-up to Zeek for once.  And, he really made the most of it; even Julia smiled proudly after he finished.  It was a bit much to have Zeek not only question Sarah, but Julia and Joel for adopting a baby from Zoe.  Though, without a contract or any real agreement, I foresee some major hurdles and heartache in the next few months.

It also creates friction with Sarah and Mark’s burgeoning relationship.  In any other show, Mark would have magically walked in on Sarah hugging Seth and it would have caused a major rift.  But, on this show, that didn’t happen, which is probably why we watch it regularly.  Mark will get used to the idea of Seth in Sarah’s life, or at least he will if he wants a relationship with her.

Oh the teenagers were back to torment us.  Haddie, unbelievably, was upset at her mother for being too tired to look at her essay, mere days after she gave birth.  Kristina was like a superwoman in this episode, taking care of the newborn singlehandedly while everyone else in her life looked out for themselves.  Adam wanted to be home, but ultimately wasn’t.

Amber, on the other hand, was called on by Drew to teach him how to kiss a girl.  It was awkward, but it was nice that Drew and Amy moved past their early relationship stage.  Amy’s a good counter-balance to Drew and makes his appearances more interesting.  And, considering it was his first, that wasn’t a bad kiss.

And then there was Cee Lo.  A pure prima donna artist in the episode, but it was good to get to see part of a semi-realistic process.  Of course, the sound was better than it would be and the process was simplified, but the stress of the producer and getting it right felt authentic, at least from someone who knows nothing of the industry.  It also bonded Adam and Crosbie as business partners which was needed for them to move forward as equals.  And, it was great to get to hear Cee Lo sing Janis’ song in his own voice.  I wonder who else will drop by The Luncheonette?

The music this week:

1. Embrace – Ben Sollee
2. Into The Sea – Aidan Hawken
3. Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us – Fink
4. I Can Hear The Trains Coming – Mathieu Santos
5. Skull & Bones – A.A. Bondy
6. When the Sun Gives In – Miles Heizer

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1.  Where is Kristina’s Family?

She’s taking care of that newborn without any help, even though there are like 50 Bravermans always hovering.  And no family of her own? It’s strange.

2. Adam Trying To Be Cool Never Gets Old

Hear him try to say Sucks Ass? (After Cee Lo described his first session.) And dancing to the song? This is going to be funny every time.

CBS

Although I disagree with the conclusion, I thought tonight’s comparison between 2005 and 2011 was pretty much dead on.  Debates on factual issues are now easily resolved with one Google Search.  And, to me that leads to more accurate knowledge.  And as the show depicts, the debates are on things that have no right or wrong answer; like the question of mystery vs history or whether to learn the sex of your baby.  Oh and Barney was still wearing the Ducky Tie.

After seven seasons, you don’t expect perfection every week from a sitcom; instead you’re looking for each episode to hit this satisfaction bar, in which if hit, you walk away feeling good.  This week’s episode did that and then some.  It gave us the reveal about Marshall & Lily having a boy, while bringing to light a very real issue in modern-day friendships (ie. smartphones,) all wrapped up in a very funny half hour.

Even Kal Penn’s third guest appearance as therapist/Robin’s boyfriend Kevin didn’t detract from the funny.  As soon as he spent time around the group, it was easy to guess he couldn’t help but analyze the friendship.  And, he naturally diagnosed many disorders (the best of which was Survivor guilt, referring to the show, not death.)  But, we’ve seen the group diagnoses before and at least this time the therapist wasn’t summarily kicked out of the group.  In fact, he ended up being seen as the crazy one, finding it too difficult to keep his opinions to himself.  And honestly, all family style friendships are dysfunction to a degree, but that might just be my anti-Kevin bias talking.  We did get to find out how to text our friends the shape of our bowel movements via emoticons and symbols, something I honestly did not know how to do before.

The most poignant discussion and topic of the episode had to be the reality of digital background checks once you meet a new person.  Most times, they don’t turn out to have the horrible issues Ted’s dates had (Mia was morbidly obese, Nadia had crystal meth charges and didn’t like Annie Hall, and Paula dated inanimate objects but was incredibly hot,) but it does make it difficult to have any suspense about a person.  And often, we pre-judge based on a written resume that’s concocted by a social network that may not accurately reflect our real personalities.

So Ted screwed up his relationship with Janet McIntyre (Amber Stevens), the perfect girl who inherited billions and loved Annie Hall, just because he knew too much about her.  It’s a shame because she left an impression despite her brief appearance.  Possibly because she’s a pretty good actor in her own right.

It was nice to see Barney’s catch phrases continue over from last week along with his incredible presentations.  It was really a lite Barney episode after many focusing on him over the last month.  And, we didn’t see Nora this week, though she was mentioned briefly.  Next week is Halloween on the show, and it  should be a fun one.

One final thought.  Mystery or History? Thoughts?

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Did Anyone Else Think Barney’s Hermaphroditic Burlap Sack Was More Paperbag Princess?

That wonderful child’s tale, The Paperbag Princess seemed like a not so bad outcome of not knowing the sex of the baby.

2.  A Rare Internet Misstep For HIMYM. JanetMcIntyre.net was Down All Night

Either it was down all night or never put up.  Based on the show’s stellar history, I’ll believe the latter. But check out janetmcintyre.net now for all the fun.

3. Barney’s Baby Gender Presentation Had Superstar Direction

Who else caught that McG was the director?

CBS

The tiny details of mergers, acquisitions, and surviving during a down economy are boring.  But, it’s exactly this kind of minutiae that keeps me coming back to The Good Wife every week.  It’s their irresistible secret sauce and it was dished out generously this week.

After a soft week last week, this week was like candy for Good Wife junkies.  There were no kids anywhere in sight (thank goodness!) and the case of the week was simple, but allowed the characters to showcase themselves a little bit.

We got to see that Carey, as much as he loves to play the legal game, is only interested in prosecuting the right people.  He’s becoming a formidable prosecutor under Peter’s watch.  Kalinda, on the other hand, got to showcase her fierce loyalty.  Working with Eli would be exciting and give her an opportunity that may not exist in the law firm.  But, she’s not the independent force she once was.  She likes her support system and despite the fractured relationship with Alicia, she wants that relationship back.

When Diane brought up the idea of walking away from their legal aid commitments, I thought there would be no way she could do that.  And, thankfully, by the time things wrapped up, instead of folding up, she doubled down.  Bringing legal aid in-house will be fascinating to watch.  And making Eli mad can only make the show more enjoyable.

I thought Celeste would lure Will against Diane and the relationship would become contentious again, but thankfully Will has also grown up.  And, he loves Alicia.  He said it, he meant it.  We all knew it.  And as he said, it doesn’t matter how high you climb, you still dance for somebody.  And right now, he at least likes the people who pull the strings.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1.  Will Would Be A Great Baseball Commissioner

One day in the future, when this show is wrapping up, I hope Will does indeed become Commissioner of Baseball.

2. Will & Diane Are The Perfect Business Couple.

They have differing opinions on everything and yet find consensus and balance together.

3. Harvey Fierstein Is A Great Judge

I hope he pops up again every now and again.

CBS

Now we’re seeing The Mentalist we all love.  Special Agent Luther Wainwright (Michael Rady) is the intriguing new mental opponent for Jane and he’s already shown he’s willing to study and learn to beat Jane.  On outcomes, they are on the same side, but the battle to see who rules the CBI is going to be fun to watch.

This episode had everything that makes The Mentalist great.  Patrick Jane was challenged with a new opponent that seemed to be a worthy adversary.  One of Jane’s first comments was simply, “Sharp.”  High praise from someone who rarely credits anyone with nominal intelligence.  The plan Jane concocted was both improbable, and complicated; but ultimately believable.  The right combination for TV drama.  And, finally, the episode set up a long arc between Wainwright and Jane.  We all know whoever comes out on top will stay at the CBI.  And, my guess is that Jane somehow knocks the young man down a bit.  Though, his level-headed nature may keep him around long term.

The back and forth between Wainwright and Jane was interwoven throughout the episode and provided some juicy back-and-forth.  When Wainwright dismisses theoretical criminology as having “no practical value,” Jane returns by saying the same goes for mid-level bureaucrats.  In this case, Wainwright is correct, but Jane isn’t relying on theories, but body language, as he later shows Wainwright.  It’s an interesting philosophical discussion in bite size portions.  Finally, what really breaks the duel in Jane’s favour is Wainwright’s naive idea to reason with a potential psychopath.  Therapy is immensely useful for those with a conscience, but for someone like Tibbs, Jane knew it would only set him off.

This round goes to Jane, but I’m looking forward to future battles within CBI.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Willie Shubert Was A Fun Distraction

The Lisbon storyline was sweet and fun, but it’s strange to have these side cases that really don’t add much to the episode.

2. Is Patrick Jane A Psychopath?

All the signs point to yes, but what makes me land on no, is his underlying pain and compassion. He is forever scarred, but has shown he has a moral compass.

NBC

Does it feel to anyone else like the writer’s don’t know how not to focus on the boss?  I know Andy is an important character now, but it feels like he’s become the central focus of every episode so far.  Which is silly when you have James Spader playing Robert California as the CEO and a variety of ways to explore his character.  Having said that, Josh Groban and Schrute Farms made this episode quite a good one.

This almost had the feel of an early season episode, with fewer misses than hits.  Jim’s prankful ways were back, though where he found the time to write an entire book about garden parties with a  pregnant wife and a small child is beyond me.  “The Ultimate Guide To Throwing A Garden Party” written by James Trickington was incredible.  We only got excerpts from Chapters 2, 4, and 9, but we did witness the closing ceremonies which must have been covered in another chapter.  Luckily, we don’t have to guess, as NBC posted the entire book on their website.  Here are Chapters 1 through 10 for your enjoyment (see if you can spot the mistakes!)

After seeing Jim & Dwight somewhat friendly last week, it is good to know their relationship isn’t completely different.  These pranks are essential to my enjoyment of the show, so I do hope they continue, no matter how elaborate and unrealistic the set up must be.

Angela is still hounding Pam during her pregnancy, but both boys having the same name is funny and a little sad.  Hopefully Angela can think of a more meaningful name for her child before his birth.  Or Pam is inspired to name her boy by another name.  Either way, it would be horrible for both women to have their kids named Phillip.  I guess one of them could change the spelling.

Josh Grobin‘s appearance was understated until he was singing, but I could see him transition into acting pretty easily.  He’s completely believable as Andy’s brother and was hilarious singing Kanye West’s Tweets.  I love that Andy told him Jim’s nickname (Tuna) and gave no physical description of Pam, giving Walter Jr (Grobin) licence to mistake both Meredith & Phyllis for her.

Robert California showed up to the garden party, but was just another person there.  The Marmalade vs Basil Plant confusion with Andy was great, as was his interaction with Dwight, but it just felt like he was a minor player.  C’mon writers, get Spader some more stories!

I usually enjoy the opening gags on The Office, but this week was just lame.  The set up was great, defacing billboards could  have been brilliant.  Instead, we got penis jokes.  Tired and lame.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Dwight’s Map Included The Gay District & The Trail Of Tears

I’d much prefer using Dwight’s Map to Google Maps.

2. Schrute Farms Packages Include Pewter & Goat

And oddly, the Pewter Package is worth less than the Goat Package.  Only at Schrute Farms.

3. Oscar got pwned by Darryl

Oscar’s holier-than-thou attitude was put in its place by Darryl’s superior knowledge of Citizen Cane (and specifically Rosebud.)

ABC

After a great episode, we were left with an abrupt mini-cliffhanger that could have been a joke or not.  With Suburgatory, parsing Tessa’s statements to her father is difficult at best.  She’s incredibly sarcastic and George has a hard time reading her. But, before that was wall-to-wall comedy.

The last few weeks, Suburgatory has introduced the show with a spoof of some other genre. Last week, there was an action sequence hiding from Sheila Shay (Ana Gasteyer), and this week it was a reference to the animal documentary, again in reference to Sheila Shay’s meddling ways.  I doubt this will be a regular occurrence, but they are a fun way to start each episode.

The problem for George this week is that Sheila is trying to out-parent him with Tessa.  Making her lunch, driving her to school, it made him feel inadequate and Tessa’s prodding of her father certainly didn’t help.  She’s great at keeping an unreadable expression while using sarcasm to completely confuse George.  That, along with her insistence on calling her father George, drive him crazy.  As a 16-year-old, there is very little power at your disposal, using your words becomes the weapon-of-choice for most smart teenagers.

Introduced in the premiere as the “diversity student,” Malik (Maestro Harrell) returned as a new addition to the “uncool” group, now consisting of Lisa, Tessa, and newcomer Malik.  By the end of the newspaper debacle, the trio have taken over the editorial board at the Chatswin Chronicle.  It’s incarnation as The Chatterer, the gossip pages of the school, gave Malik the ability to hang with the cool kids, a modern-day Can’t Buy Me Love.  TV Shows like to live in the past, as most “newspapers” would be digital today.  They’d probably just have an online magazine or blog; which would make Malik more Perez Hilton than Ronald Miller.

George took his fight with Sheila to the PTA (as Dallas says, Without the P, we’re just T&A.”) and ended up taking over control as his manly advice was welcomed by the ladies of the ‘burbs.  George genuinely wants to be involved in his daughter’s life, but his extreme inclusion in all thinks PTA was scaring Tessa and was clearly only done to try and show Sheila his might.  But, when it came down to being an obsessive mother, Sheila can’t be toppled that easily.  The constantly naive George is going to have to have more meaningful relationships, like Tessa, moving forward.  While his games with other parents are entertaining, not everyone can be an enemy.  Dallas (Cheryl Hines), is probably going to morph into a friendship, if not a relationship, over time, which should hopefully translate into seeing a more realistic side of Dalia as well.

And what of Tessa’s declaration that she’s not going to college?  Real or just a joke?  I’m guessing real, but short-lived.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. The Teenage KKK

As Tessa labelled Kenzie, Kaitlyn, and Kimantha.

2. Sheila Shay Makes Surrogate Brown Bags

As much as Tessa dislikes the neighbourly intrusions, she still misses that female motherly touch.

3. George Rocks His Apple Bottom Jeans

Rhonda’s jeans look hideous, but it did give them an excuse to use Flo Rida’s Low in the background.

ABC

After many, many years, Tim Allen is back on network television.  And much has changed in the television industry since Home Improvement last aired in 1999.  Last Man standing ignored all those changes and aired a standard family sitcom, though admittedly with some potential.

Maybe it was nostalgia, but I wanted this show to be great.  I have fond memories of Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor and Wilson and Al.  So I gave it a shot, and though I think this will last longer than Paul Reiser’s attempted return to TV, changes should be made if it’s going to make it beyond the spring.  The first and most important one should be to change Tim Allen’s character’s name to Tim.  It just feels wrong to think of him as Mike. Okay, so it’s not the most important thing, but I still think it should be changed.

The show centres around Mike and Vanessa Baxter (Nancy Travis) and their three daughters (and one grandson,) living in a world where there are no more “real men.”  Of course, Mike, who hasn’t really been an involved father, being a photographer for catalogues for many years, is now being grounded as the world has moved on from physical catalogues.  I’m not sure how the lack of physical catalogues affects the need for photographers, but let’s just skip past that for the moment.

Mike’s daughters are all presented as stereotypical girls of one sort or another.  Mandy is the vain girl who watches Glee and obsesses over her looks. Eve is the tomboy who plays sports and Kristen is the one with a baby.  The first 5-10 minutes of this show were just terrible.  But, as the episode progressed, everyone crept back off the caricature ledge and descended back into somewhat of a realistic realm.  There’s a ways to go for this show to have longevity, but perhaps on ABC there is hope.  It’s not terrible and the potential is certainly there for a fun, in-the-box sitcom.  The cast is pretty talented with the supporting cast consisting mainly of Hector Elizondo as Mike’s boss.

Some of my biggest gripes include that awful laugh track and the ’90s era writing.  It doesn’t have to be edgy, but it should be contemporary and it just feels soft.  I do think this can be fixed as it’s clear Tim Allen can carry a show pretty much on his own.

I don’t think this show is worthy of weekly reviews, but should something change or this becomes must-watch television, we’ll pick it up then.

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1. Homophobic Much Mike?

Jokes can be told about everything, but I felt the writers crossed a line with their homophobic joke about dancing. It certainly felt wrong and wasn’t funny.

2. Hector Elizondo is 74.

He’s unforgettable from his Pretty Women days, and he’s still great to see on screen, but who knew he was 74!

3. Who Caught Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear Reference?

There wasn’t any “To Infinity,” but there certainly was, “And Beyond.”  Nice.

NBC

Adam strolling down the street dressed head-to-tie as a hip-hop mogul past his prime was quite possibly the highlight of the season.  And having him show up to the birth of his daughter that way was priceless.  And the ever-popular Zoe returns this week too.

After a Haddie & Drew overdose last week, we were treated to Amber interacting with Max this week.  And, it actually wasn’t so bad.  Amber was sporting another “stylish” new haircut, but apart from that, her creative thinking to connect with her cousin was sweet and thoughtful.  And, even though seeing 14-year old Max Burkholder try and play an 11-year old is little hard to believe, he still does a great job playing a kid with Asperger Syndrome.

Crosbie is being attacked on all fronts right now, being criticized for his parenting skills, having to deal with his ex-girlfriend Jasmine dating his child’s paediatrician, and now Adam and Kristina calling him a liar for possibly understating how much effort it would take to sign artists.  But, it did feel like Crosbie was being honest, he just doesn’t dot his i’s as carefully as his brother.  Ultimately, I hope Crosbie proves himself to be reliable and trustworthy, because having him be a man-child for another few years would be grating and uncharacteristic of the show.  The annoying characters are all taken up by the teenage children.

Zeek was back in angry-grandfather mode after seeing Sarah’s ex-husband Seth (John Corbett) pop back into the Braverman world, drunk and out-of-sorts.  I kinda agreed with how Zeek handled it.  Maybe it wasn’t the nicest, but he’s protecting his family.  Though calling Sarah weak and unable to handle the situation may have crossed a line.

Even with all that happening, the show really revolved around babies.  Zoe, heavily pregnant, is now one step closer to friendship with Julia.  And having them in the same room together provides some of the more connected moments.  They have a natural chemistry and Rosa Salazar proves once again that the young guest stars on this show consistently outshine the regular cast’s younger members. It was great to see Joel meet her and for Zoe to see how great a family Julia has.  If you don’t have children around all the time, there’s something wonderful about waking up and seeing little kids interacting with their parents.  Especially if they are great parents.

Zoe’s decision to give her baby to Julia was no surprise, ever since she showed up, it was a foregone conclusion.  But, her angst and regret after making that decision was a poignant moment.  It’s as if she voluntarily signed up to lose her friend and be tormented by knowing the adoptive parents forever.  And Salazar matched Michael B. Jordan’s brilliant performance from last week.

Of course, the biggest moment of the night was Nora being born.  With Crosbie and Kristina fighting moments before she ends up in labour, it was satisfying to see Crosbie step up for family and get to be a part of a child’s birth (since he didn’t get that chance with Jabbar.)  But, I still felt sad that Adam missed out.  He’s such a great leader in the family and he deserved to be there, hip-hop shoes and all.

Next week looks to be focused on The Luncheonette, so we’ll  get to see the studio in action.

The music this week:

1. Stormbringer – Beck
2. Click Click Pow – Lexicon
3. Hope You Know – Megafaun
4. Save Me – Ryan Adams
5. Nobody Hot As Me – Ku
6. Such Great Heights – Iron & Wine

Spoonfuls (Thoughts in Smaller Portions):

1.  Sarah and Mark were quoting The Godfather II.

I know it was you. You broke my heart Fredo.

2. Hip It Up? If you’re using that phrase…

I love how often they used the phrase despite it’s utterly cringe-worthy sound.

3. The Girl Crosbie was dating is named Tuf

The completely unknown Kristina Geddes played Tuf, but I don’t think we’ll see her again.