Week in Review, Mar 22 to 28

The Week in Video Games

Again this week I had limited video gaming time, but I did manage to finish Tales of Monkey Island Chapter Four, "The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood." While it wasn't quite as enjoyable as Chapter Three, it was certainly another worthy entry in this very good point & click adventure series. The story ramped up significantly, as it should in act four of a five act series, and the laughs were still plentiful, thanks in particular to the return of Stan (and his amazing jacket) and the hilarious Bailiff Hardtack. This chapter featured a huge cliffhanger ending, so I couldn't resist briefly diving into Chapter Five, which definitely has a very memorable opening sequence. I should have time during this coming long weekend to finally wrap this series.

The Week in Television

Monday, March 22nd
Loved: Chuck (3x11)
Liked: How I Met Your Mother (5x18), The Big Bang Theory (3x18)

"Chuck Versus the Final Exam" defied my expectation of tidy resolutions to last week's hanging threads and instead took the series and characters to new and even more interesting places. I know that eventually all of these changes will be somehow reset to normal, because that's how TV series in this genre (that are not Alias) work, but the ride is certainly an entertaining one and I'm glad I'm taking it. It is amusing (but somewhat distressing) that much of the Chuck fandom is frustrated by this third season, while I think the show is leaps and bounds better this year than it was in its first two seasons. In the last half of the second season the writers started a trend of tighter storytelling and continuity, and that's the direction the series has continued on in its third season. But Chuck fandom wants a return to the "good ol' days" of Chuck stumbling humourously through lame standalone missions. It's true what they say: people know what they like, and they just want you to keep giving them that. Except that they also want Chuck and Sarah to get together, without acknowledging that consummating central relationships is always a huge game-changer for a series, and it's often a move that a series will never recover from ("jumping the shark," if you will). Anyway, none of the fandom whining will matter, as the ratings this season have now hit a level where cancellation is very probable. However, everyone thought Chuck was a goner at the end of season two as well...

"Say Cheese" is the type of How I Met Your Mother episode that made me a fan of the series, with smart use of continuity and flashbacks, and effective use of all of the characters. There were a few misfired gags that slightly tarnished the quality of the storytelling, but on the whole, this was much better than most episodes of late.

I am conflicted about The Big Bang Theory's "The Pants Alternative." On one hand, I enjoyed the first three quarters of the episode without reservation, but on the other hand, Sheldon getting drunk and going all stand-up comedian didn't really work for me. I also felt that this episode needed a stronger end tag than seeing more of drunk Sheldon (although the title is a reference to the tag's gag), such as seeing some of the fallout from Sheldon's activities.

Tuesday, March 23rd
Loved: Lost (6x9)

Lost's "Ab Aeterno" finally told the sad story of poor Richard Alpert, mysterious ageless assistant to Jacob, and it did so very, very well. Surprisingly, they managed to tell his story without spoiling too many of the island's secrets, other than showing us the Black Rock's dramatic and statue destroying arrival on the island, and presenting a little bit more background material on the Man in Black and Jacob. But answers to the big questions won't come until the big series finale, so until then, I'll continue to enjoy the Lost ride, which is easy with storytelling as good as this.

Wednesday, March 24th
Liked: Modern Family (1x18), Survivor (20x7)
Meh: South Park (14x2)

This week's Survivor was much better than the last episode, probably because we finally got to see some strategic action from the much more interesting Villains tribe. The way Russell played Tyson was fantastic, even though Tyson's idiocy will likely have damaging effect on Boston Rob's standing in the game, and then I will be pissed. On the Heroes side, they wised up enough to take out injured James, but they are still idiots for taking out Tom last tribal council. And I don't get why no one ever suggests getting rid of Rupert; I'm pretty sure even an injured James is more useful than that fucking guy.

I appreciated the message of South Park's "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs," but much of the humour fell flat for me. When my biggest laugh was due to Matt Lauer spitting a couple times after vomiting, you know the episode was a little lacking.

I am finding that I have very little to say about Modern Family's "Starry Night," another solid if unremarkable half-hour of family comedy. The family sitcom is a genre of show that I normally don't watch, because it usually doesn't add up to much. I can laugh throughout an episode of Modern Family, but after a few hours I have a tough time recalling what all happened. It's funny, but it's also forgettable. Don't get me wrong, Modern Family is a damn good family sitcom, and the characters are great, but the threat of boredom is definitely looming.

Thursday, March 25th
Loved: Parks and Recreation (2x20)
Liked: 30 Rock (4x16), The Office (6x21)

Parks and Recreation had the most enjoyable Thursday half-hour with "Summer Catalog," a consistently funny episode that made great use of all of the characters. I'm a big fan of Andy and April as a couple, as anyone that has been reading these posts for a while should have noticed, and this was a big episode for them. Also great: Ron's hunger, Tom's photo-shoot, and an awkward picnic.

I enjoyed The Office's "Happy Hour" much more than the previous couple of episodes. Other than a few frustrating (but admittedly awkward-funny) moments with "Date Mike," this was a light, enjoyable excursion out of the office with the characters. Each of the couples had some good moments, including pre-"Date Mike" Michael with Pam's friend. I'm frankly shocked by how well Dwight and Isabel worked as a couple in this episode.

The part of 30 Rock's "Floyd" that worked the least for me was actually the title story with the return of Liz's old boyfriend. The rest of the episode was quite hilarious.

Friday, March 26th
Loved: Spartacus (1x10)
Liked: Caprica (1x9), The Ricky Gervais Show (1x6)

Wow. I did not see that coming. Another Friday, another awesome Spartacus episode. "Party Favors" started off as an unusually fun, light episode, especially coming on the heels of last week's darkness, and I should have known some ugly shit was going to go down in the end. Fuck. I was worried that this series might stagnate and get boring if it was just gladiator fight after gladiator fight, but the writers have avoided that trap very nicely in this first season by constantly switching things up.

Wow. I did not see that coming. Or that. Or that! WTF just happened!? Caprica's mid-season finale, "End of Line," had so many cliffhangers and deaths and surprises, that it was almost too much. There is certainly no way anyone can accuse this series of being boring anymore. Next week, Stargate Universe is back for the second half of its first season. I would much rather see the rest of Caprica's already-in-the-can first season... fucking Syfy.

Saturday, March 27th
Liked: Legend of the Seeker (2x15)

Legend of the Seeker's "Creator" was pretty good, despite the fact that it was a clip-show, and ignoring the egregious use of clips from LAST WEEK's episode. The first season's clip show was rather awful and pointless, but this episode's framing story was much better, tied directly into the season's main storyline, and actually introduced some interesting new mythology into the series. I wish they didn't have to resort to clip shows with this series, but producer Rob Tapert has always used clip shows to allow certain bigger episodes to go way over-budget.

Sunday, March 28th
Liked: The Amazing Race (16x7)

The cops were finally knocked out of first place this week by the first major bunch-up in a few episodes, allowing perpetual middle-of-the-packers Steve and Allie to win a leg. And I'm pretty happy that the cowboys were saved by the second non-elimination leg. They may be complete idiots that make numerous dumb mistakes, but they are quite entertaining despite themselves. I'd like to see a final three of the brothers, cops, and cowboys.