February, 2013
February 2nd, 2013, 12:39 p.m. - At least Callie and Arizona are fighting about parenting techniques instead of who cut off whose leg
Top Chef - "Chefs at Sea": I guess we're clear now that bringing back past contestants doesn't work, yes? And that Kristen needs to come back immediately and finish this off? And that Josh needs to go away? Good, I'm glad we're all on the same page. Rating: 3 heads of lettuce
The Big Bang Theory - "The Cooper/Kripke Inversion": So Kripke can say whatever he wants, but Sheldon's the one who winds up with the sexual-harassment complaints? Come on. Rating: 3 dolls
Grey's Anatomy - "Bad Blood": After all that, we don't get Leah's backstory? That would have been nice. She clearly had something happen that related to her storyline this week, but...nothing. Boo. Rating: 3 Hunger Games references Bailey made that made me giggle
February 3rd, 2013, 3:46 p.m. - I guess I shouldn't judge, since I believe in a guy who walked on water
5. Under the Banner of Heaven (Jon Krakauer)
Up next: Inside Scientology (Janet Reitman)
February 9th, 2013, 12:38 p.m. - It's Robin Sparkles 4, y'all!
How I Met Your Mother - "P.S. I Love You": So many great moments: all the cameos; Robin's grunge phase; the banner at her concert reading, "Considering questioning authority, please"; the Alanis/Dave Coulier jokes, and Bob Saget's Coulier reference; the return of Alan Thicke. Man, I love this show. Rating: 5 pulled fire alarms
Modern Family - "A Slight at the Opera": Some obvious jokes here, and the better plots needed more development. I would really like more Alex, please. And I'm enjoying Dylan being back, but not like this. Rating: 3 golf shirts Pepper's going to buy
Top Chef - "Kings of Alaska": This is a really strong final three, though I think Josh is very lucky to be there. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go next. Then we can have a Brooke/Sheldon/Kristen (most likely) finale, which would be very interesting. Rating: 3 sourdough starters
The Big Bang Theory - "The Spoiler Alert Segmentation": Eh. Not the best, not the worst. How could anyone not know Dumbledore dies? Rating: 3 glasses of cream sherry
Grey's Anatomy - "The Face of Change": I'm such a dork. I let the tension of the episode get to me. But this was so much like the episode way back in season 2 when the interns cut Denny's LVAD wires. Callie and Richard were awesome; I still love seeing characters interact who don't always get scenes together. This is where the large cast pays off. Rating: 5 giant pictures of Derek in the elevator
February 16th, 2013, 12:18 p.m. - Dear DM, you belong in jail
6. Inside Scientology (Janet Reitman)
I'm going to get sued, aren't I?
Up next: Going Clear (Lawrence Wright)
February 17th, 2013, 12:59 p.m. - "Maybe the old lady with the face tattoo was right"
How I Met Your Mother - "Bad Crazy": I'll admit, I laughed at the Mike Tyson reveal, and then I felt bad about it. Why is Lily approving of Ted dating a crazy woman? What happened to the front porch test? Rating: 3 stashes of bottled water
Modern Family - "Heart Broken": I liked the structure of this episode, though the third act felt rushed. They could have made a whole episode out of the Hangover takeoff. Rating: 4 pink cats (AKA "tiny pink panthers"
Top Chef - "Glacial Gourmand": That was pretty much exactly what I expected to happen, and what should have happened. I have heard that the returning chef will be either Kristen or Lizzie. You know who I'm pulling for. That said, Brooke or Sheldon would be a great winner, too. Everyone left in contention deserves a win. Rating: 4 failed torchons
The Big Bang Theory - "The Tangible Affection Proof": This fell flat for me. You'd think they would do something wackier with Valentine's Day. Better luck next time. Rating: 3 engagement rings that weren't for Penny
Grey's Anatomy - "Hard Bargain": The perfect combination of drama and humor, with a lot of great acting. I guessed the ending ahead of time, but the way it came about was still great to watch. P.S. Can we see more of the co-workers who had a baby together? Rating: 5 semi-lies that are totally going to come back and bite April
Degrassi - "Bitter Sweet Symphony, Part 1": Go away, Eli. And take Dallas with you. Rating: 4 owls made out of socks
February 21st, 2013, 10:47 p.m. - Not sued yet!
7. Going Clear (Lawrence Wright)
Up next: The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta)
February 23rd, 2013, 12:28 p.m. - "It makes me miss my marijuana-addicted flatworms – those guys were mellow"
The Amazing Race - "Business in the Front, Party in the Back": So far I like Pam & Winnie and John & Jessica, who, if history is any indication, are most likely to win. I could tell from their first shot that Katie & Max would be annoying, and also that she wears the pants in that relationship. No way would a guy like that wear a pink and purple shirt unless his wife made him. I liked the second Roadblock, with the added twist on the typical needle-in-a-haystack task, but I don't get why the racers didn't use their buckets to scoop up the sand instead of putting it in with their hands. That seemed like it would save them some time. Eh, moot point. Rating: 4 sandcastles (in the saaaaaaaaand...)
How I Met Your Mother - "The Ashtray": As I've said before, I like it when the show plays with storytelling and reminds us that when everything's through Ted's eyes, we might not be seeing what really happened. This episode took that to the extreme. There was a lot of giggling from my couch this week. Rating: 4 paintings of elephants
Modern Family - "Bad Hair Day": Jay and Gloria were jerks this week (Jay more than usual – I really don't like him). And I object to Haley and Alex only being in one scene. But I did enjoy the sequence of all the characters passing the blame for the wig incident. Rating: 3 older exes proving yet again that Claire has daddy issues
Top Chef - "Finale, Part 1": Yep, this is exactly what should have happened, though I do feel bad for Sheldon. I think this was the first time I liked all three of the final chefs, and thought all three would have deserved to win. I'm rooting for Kristen, but if Brooke wins, I won't be disappointed. She might even deserve it more. (Don't tell Kristen I said that.) Rating: 4 pieces of brown butter cake I really, really want to try
The Big Bang Theory - "The Monster Isolation": Kate Micucci is great; I enjoyed her on Scrubs, and she's showing here that she can play more than just a quirky character. I'm interested to see her interact with the rest of the group. Girls' night out with Penny, Amy, and Bernadette? Rating: 4 lobster bibs
Grey's Anatomy - "This Is Why We Fight": Once again, this show made me feel like a dork. I felt all the tension and kept rooting for the survivors to win, even though I knew there was no way they could shut down the hospital. I loved that they lost, but there was an 11th-hour win. And now Jackson's in charge! How cool is that? Rating: 5 tumors Alex supposedly beat up
Degrassi - "Bitter Sweet Symphony, Part 2": This was a really powerful episode. My only complaint, really, is that Dylan Everett is gone, because I thought he was a great actor. Well, okay, I have a second complaint: This episode should have come later in the season, so we could see more episodes of Cam struggling with depression. There was more of that last season, and with the break between the seasons, this felt a little out of the blue. But the entire cast was great (especially Demetrius Joyette, who deserves whatever the Canadian version of the Emmy is), and I liked how they showed everyone's different reactions to Cam's death. That was realistic. Rating: 5 beers on the roof
February 28th, 2013, 10:32 p.m. - Because apparently I'm on a weird religion kick
8. The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta)
Up next: The Storyteller (Jodi Picoult)
I read part of Under the Banner of Heaven when it first came out ten years ago, but I didn't remember most of it. I wonder what Krakauer would add or change if he'd written it now. Warren Jeffs is barely mentioned, Ruby Jessop has resurfaced, and we have a new view of polygamy thanks to the Browns on Sister Wives. I'd love an update.
How in the WORLD does Scientology qualify as a religion? They don't worship God, they worship L. Ron Hubbard. Who was an egomaniac, a pathologial liar, and a bad writer. He fully admits that he wanted to be famous. And DM is just insane. Why would anyone want to work for him or let him run their lives? I don't get it.
I thought Going Clear would give less detail about Scientology itself than Inside Scientology did, since it was more focused on the celebrity facet of the organization, but it actually provided more detail. I'd even say I learned more from Going Clear than Inside Scientology. Which means I'm even more freaked out now.
I was hesitant to read The Leftovers when it first came out, since it got mixed reviews. I decided to finally pick it up when I read that Damon Lindelof (creator of Lost) had optioned it. It would make a great TV show – a little reminiscent of Lost, but different enough to be original. It would also spark a lot of conversation about loss and how you move on after an inexplicable occurance. How do you get closure when you don't understand what happened, and why it didn't happen to you?