January, 2009
January 1st, 2009, 10:50 p.m. - Where's my Almondine?
1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (David Wroblewski)
Up next: Trailer Trashed (Hollis Gillespie)
January 10th, 2009, 10:02 p.m. - Ray's accent doesn't sound any better on a corpse
Top Chef - "Focus Group": Spirit guides or not, I've come to really like Carla, so I was happy with her staying over Melissa (who?) and Eugene. I loved her pretending to call for Gail, since I feel the same way about Toby as she does - he's harsh, and not in a good way. I think he really wants to be Anthony Bourdain. You, sir, are no Anthony Bourdain. Rating: 3 scallops that Jamie just won't stop cooking
Damages - "I Lied, Too": I was hoping that they would keep the same structure as they did last season. So far I don't find the plots quite as compelling as last season's, but I know they'll pick up. There's also a lot more going on this time around. I have faith that this season will be just as good as, if not better than, the first season. Rating: 4 boxes full of incriminating information
Grey's Anatomy - "Wish You Were Here": I'm more interested in what this week's episode set up for next week (mainly with Eric Stoltz's condemned man and the kid who needs a transplant) than in what actually happened this week. That's probably not good. At this point Mark and Callie are the only characters who consistently entertain me. Bailey would be with them if she hadn't kind of been a jerk this week. But I can still sympathize with her character, so it's not all bad. Rating: 3 toothbrush shivs
January 13th, 2009, 11:21 p.m. - Enough already
2. Trailer Trashed (Hollis Gillespie)
Up next: Never Tell a Lie (Hallie Ephron)
11:28 p.m. - See you in May, life
January 16th, 2009, 10:36 p.m. - "I call loser!"
How I Met Your Mother - "Benefits": Eh, that was kind of weak. The serious stuff was better than the funny stuff, which is good in a way, but also...well, you know, this is a comedy, so it's kind of supposed to be funny. That Marshall stuff was one of the weirdest subplots ever. And can't they give Lily more to do? Rating: 3 smashed TVs
American Idol - Phoenix and Kansas City auditions: I hate two-hour episodes. And I don't just mean when I have to recap them. I hate that by the time we get to the end, I've forgotten everyone's name. I pretty much remember the blind guy and Bikini Girl. That's sad. I'm loving Kara, though. Rating: 3 jumps in the pool - seriously, what's up with everyone doing that?
Top Chef - "Down on the Farm": I really thought Leah was going to go. But after seeing the previews for the next episode, it makes sense that she's still here - her arc with Hosea is still going. In that case, I wasn't surprised to see Ariane go at all. In some ways, she's lasted longer than she should have. And at least she went out with class. Oh, wait. Rating: 3 fried green tomatoes
Damages - "Burn It, Shred It, I Don't Care": I'm already loving Marcia Gay Harden, and she's been on screen for a total of about five minutes. And William Hurt is doing a great job of being ambiguous about what's going on with him. I have to admit, I'm disappointed that the show went with the crazy-guy-has-a-collection-of-newspaper-clippings route with what's his face (seriously, I can't remember his name). Other than that, I'm excited to see what happens this season. Also, I want to go on record here: I think they're trying to make us believe that Daniel is Michael's father, but I think he's really Julia's father. Discuss. Rating: 4 unseen objects that Daniel burned
The Office - "Duel": Eh. Honestly, if Michael weren't on the show, I wouldn't miss him. He had the boring plot this week. The stuff with the duel was definitely the highlight; too bad there wasn't more of it. Rating: 3 rules that Schrute boys must learn (please, please, someone publish the others)
Grey's Anatomy - "Sympathy for the Devil": Forget Alex and Izzie - can we have an Alex/Arizona pairing? Of course, we'd have to call them something stupid like Arex or Alexzona, but it might be fun. Speaking of pairings, Callie shouldn't get too close to January 20th, 2009, 11:56 a.m. - Chill out, E Weekly
3. Never Tell a Lie (Hallie Ephron)
Up next: Good People (Marcus Sakey)
10:38 p.m. - My title would have worked better if they'd gone to San Diego
"You Stay Classy, San Francisco"
January 22nd, 2009, 11:12 p.m. - The theme of the week seems to be difficult decisions
How I Met Your Mother - "Three Days of Snow": Not to get all fan-girly or anything, but Marshall and Lily 4-EVA!!!!1!1 Seriously, they're so sweet. I like the little bits of realism the writers inject into their relationship, like not being sure which rituals to keep and wondering how their relationship has changed over the years. Their partnership is one of the many reasons I keep watching this show. Rating: 5 six-packs
House - "Painless": I'm not even going to bother commenting on the week's medical condition, since that was just weird. But I will say that if Wilson only gets one scene a week, THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CAST. Rating: 3 giant stuffed giraffes
American Idol - San Francisco and Louisville auditions: Same old, same old. Also, everyone leave Joanna Pacitti alone, because she's awesome. Rating: 3 straws
Lost - "Because You Left"/"The Lie": I'm so happy the show is back that I'm willing to overlook the immense confusion I feel right now. Rating: 4 dead Pakistanis on Hurley's mom's couch.
Top Chef - "Restaurant Wars": I really don't get why everyone likes Restaurant Wars so much. I've never been that much of a fan. I'll give this one a bye, though, because I was getting sick of Ms. I Won't Cook Indian All the Time So the Judges Don't Pigeonhole Me, Except Actually I Will, and I have no problem seeing Radhika go home. Rating: 3 late-night make-out sessions on the couch
The Office - "Prince Family Paper": I liked this episode so much, I even kind of liked the Michael stuff. I'm wondering, though, what happens if Dwight says Hilary Swank isn't hot? Do they have to call Ryan to be the tiebreaker? Hey, where is Ryan, anyway? Eh, probably a prison in Thailand by now. Rating: 5 headshots of Hilary Swank
Grey's Anatomy - "Stairway to Heaven": Grey's is at its best when it forces its characters to make difficult decisions - do you do what you think is right or what's actually right? Do you change the rules for someone you think doesn't deserve the same treatment as others? Do you let one person die so another person can live? Do you do what your boyfriend would want you to do or what you think is right? Do you - should you - show compassion for someone who may not "deserve" it? This episode was full of those kinds of turning-point moments for almost everyone. I was happy with the way things turned out, though I thought it might be even more emotionally resonant if Jackson had died. I could see a storyline ending with Bailey leaving the hospital a la Izzie at the end of season 2. Oh, and speaking of Izzie, everyone can calm down! She wasn't sleeping with a ghost, she was sleeping with the Angel of Death! So it's not weird at all! Rating: 5 seconds T.R. Knight was on screen
January 27th, 2009, 10:23 p.m. - Two for Tuesday
January 30th, 2009, 7:36 p.m. - I know, I know, worst title ever
9:41 p.m. - Shut up, Andrew
House - "Big Baby": Completely forgettable. Can we get away from the Foreman/Thirteen crap, please? Rating: 2 baby monitors
American Idol - Jacksonville, Salt Lake City, San Juan, and New York auditions: Wake me when we get to Hollywood. Rating: 3 giant pink bunny costumes
Lost - "Jughead": I think this season is going to be really good. Faraday has turned into one of the more interesting characters. I love how, unlike some shows with huge casts that just can't figure out how to use all their characters (**cough**House**cough), Lost just leaves out the ones they don't need, rather than trying to shoehorn them in so everyone gets a scene every episode. The Oceanic 6 weren't needed this week, so we didn't see them. Works for me. It's also a mark of good writing that while I think Locke has turned into a pretty horrible person, I don't completely hate his character and still want to see him on-screen. (That's also a mark of Terry O'Quinn's consistently terrific performances, of course.) We don't have to love characters to be entertained by them. In fact, sometimes the most interesting characters are the least likable ones. Rating: 4 hydrogen bombs
Top Chef - "Super Bowl Chef Showdown": We're really playing fast and loose with the term "all-star", aren't we? I mean, I thought Camille was Rashida Jones. Other than that (and Spike and Andrew), I liked the challenge a lot. I like it when the task is fairly simple but the presentation of it is really creative. I have to wonder, though, what would have happened if all of the "home" chefs had won their rounds - how would they have done the elimination? Rating: 4 times I told Andrew to shut up while watching the episode
It really is as good as everyone says it is. Yes, I know it's an Oprah book. It's not like that's ever stopped me. Seriously, I really enjoyed this, and I'm impressed with the amount of work Wroblewski put into it (I'm assuming he had to do all that research about dogs and didn't know it beforehand). There isn't a wasted word on any of the 562 pages. It's definitely worth the effort.
At first I really liked this, but then I got sick of how it seemed that Gillespie rushes half of the stories and barely finishes the other half. I think she was trying too hard.
Lauren Sadie, since she won't be hanging around long (thank goodness). Maybe Eric Stoltz can take care of that before he goes. (Loved that last scene, by the way.) Rating: 4 really high ponytails
Entertainment Weekly gave this book a D. I really don't get why. Yes, it was kind of a generic mystery, but it was paced will and had some good twists and a nicely ambiguous ending. Why the grouchiness, EW?