Week in Review, Dec 10 to Dec 16

I spoke too soon last week when I thought that post would be the last television-heavy Week in Review post of 2009. Nope, this one is.

The Week in Television

After watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's season finale on Thursday night, I decided it was time to watch A Very Sunny Christmas. Released on DVD nearly a month ago, I saved it for closer to Christmas, to really appreciate the gang's anti-social behaviour at the right time of the year. And, boy, did they deliver on the promise of seeing the gang ruin Christmas for everyone. This special was effectively a two part episode of the show, and it was easily as strong as any of the fifth season's episodes.

Thursday, December 10th
Loved: Fringe (2x10)
Liked: 30 Rock (4x8), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (5x12), Parks and Recreation (2x12), The Office (6x13)

All four Thursday comedies ended 2009 with above average episodes, three of the four celebrating the Christmas season. The exception was Always Sunny, but if you've been paying attention you already know that Always Sunny's Christmas episode for the year was released on DVD and reviewed one paragraph up from here. In "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry," an old flip cup rivalry leads to embarrassing hi-jinks in a fancy restaurant and a frat house where the gang meets their match in more ways than just flip cup.

The Office has a history of strong Christmas episodes, but the first half of "Secret Santa" was a little worrisome with an overly assholish turn by Michael. Thankfully, Michael soon learned the error of his ways, and the episode picked up in a big way in the second half. The Andy and Erin relationship continues to be the highlight of the season, with the ending especially delivering in a big way on that front.

30 Rock's Christmas episode was (coincidentally?) also titled "Secret Santa." It was a more consistently funny episode than The Office, but in that ridiculously goofy 30 Rock way. Liz's search for the perfect gift for Jack had the best payoff of the episode's many storylines.

In Parks and Recreation's "Christmas Scandal," Leslie's encounter with a sleazy politician led to scandal (obviously--it's in the title) and some brilliantly satirical media coverage. As funny as that story was, the best moments of the episode involved the relationships of Leslie and Dave and especially Andy and April. It looks like Louis C. K. has made his last appearance in the series, which is pretty sad considering how great he was.

"Grey Matters" took Fringe back to welcome mythology territory, and was easily the most dramatic and interesting episode of the season so far. The revelations about the cause of Walter's mental condition were shocking, and the confrontation between Olivia and the new baddie was tense. The second half of Fringe's first season was significantly better than the first half, so I'm excited to see what the second half of season two has in store.

Friday, December 11th
Loved: Dollhouse (2x7/2x8)

The second two-hour Dollhouse event, consisting of episodes "Meet Jane Doe" and "A Love Supreme," was again amazing. It's too bad that no one is watching this show now that it has really hit its stride in classic Joss Whedon season two style. Like last week, both episodes were very good but the best material came in the second hour, with the return of the awesome Alan Tudyk as Alpha.

Saturday, December 12th
Loved: Legend of the Seeker (2x6)

Legend of the Seeker's "Fury" started out slow and non-promising, but slowly developed into one of the best episodes of the series. The sequence where Zedd saves Richard from his rage was unquestionably the most impressively acted scene in the series' history. Bruce Spence rocks! The storyline was strong, well-developed, and faithful to the spirit of the books. This episode was particularly good coming after the big misstep that was "Wizard."

Sunday, December 13th
Loved: Dexter (4x12)

What can I say about Dexter's fourth season finale, "The Getaway," other than "HOLY SHIT!?!" And, "When does season five start?" This season was undoubtedly the best season since the first, consisting of twelve excellent, exciting, intense episodes with very few missteps. Sure, some characters are simply not nearly as interesting as Dexter and Deb, but the amount of time spent on those characters was minimal and didn't take away from the strength of the Trinity storyline. Dexter has reclaimed its title as the best drama on television.

Monday, December 14th
Loved: The Big Bang Theory (3x11)

The Big Bang Theory's Christmas-lite episode, "The Maternal Congruence," was one of the better episodes of the year for me. Sheldon's relationship with Leonard's mom, Beverly, is absolutely priceless. Penny and Beverly bonding over booze was a touch over the top, but it brought the laughs in a big way. Best of all was Beverly's hilarious observations about Raj and Howard's latent homosexuality.

Tuesday, December 15th
Loved: Better Off Ted (2x2)
Liked: So You Think You Can Dance (6x23)

"The Lawyer, the Lemur and the Little Listener" was another pretty good episode of Better Off Ted. The title of this episode reflects the three parallel storylines, with Lem and the lawyer getting the biggest laughs, and Ted and the little listener (his daughter Rose) having the best payoff. The awesome Veridian Dynamics commercial near the end was a very welcome addition.

Wednesday, December 16th
Meh: So You Think You Can Dance (6x24)

So You Think You Can Dance finales are an incredible example of two hours of filler, filler, filler, and more filler. Seeing some of the season's best dances again is okay, although there weren't that many great dance routines in this below average season, but then... Jennifer Lopez, really? I'm also not impressed with America's choice for the winner, but ultimately it doesn't matter who wins SYTYCD, because I'll probably never see or hear from any of these people ever again.