TEOTWAWKI

The Simpsons, S24E09

Homer got involved with a group of people in town preparing for a possible crumble of civilization.  Homer kept his preparation a relative secret and moved the family to the preppers' hidden community after there was a sudden shut down of all technology in town.  Marge had to convince him to return to "society" and share their supplies instead of letting their town suffer on its own.

This isn't the first time that Homer's jumped on the doomsday bandwagon, so I wasn't really excited about the idea.  However, at least there was really no harm in Homer preparing for the worst.  No one got hurt or anything, and when the family returned to town to help everyone, no help was even needed.  You just had to enjoy Homer's crazy ride until he saw it through.  And that kind of story I'm okay with, but it's not really too amusing.

That being said, there were a few things that I liked in particular.  At the beginning, I liked when Homer called Marge "mom" and then switched to calling her "Mrs. Simpson."  I think this worked for me because Homer is often at the same level as his kids, and it feels like Marge is the only real adult.  Another part I liked was when Homer was looking for Bart and Lisa and kept finding similar kids, but not his own, and when he finally did see them, he was like "who the hell are you?"

One of my favorite things, though, was when you could see the production name of the video that the Prepper showed Homer at Moe's that said, "you're all gonna die productions."  That, in combination with the ridiculous video that guy had shown him, made that name really funny to me.

There were also a few lines that I liked.  The first was when Homer mistakenly thought that the new group he had joined were preppies:

[Prepper Guy] Not preppies. Preppers.  But I like your hatred.[Homer] It’s based on nothing.

The other line I liked was when Homer was remarking on how people mocked him, despite that civilization had seemed to crumble as he predicted:

[Homer] Marge, when I started prepping for the end of the world, everyone laughed at me.[Marge] No one was laughing.  You kept it a secret![Homer] Well, just because I imagined it, doesn’t make it any less true.

I also find it interesting that when the Learn Zone was locked down that it was the men who freaked out instead of the women.  I took notice of this mainly because on Family Guy I just know they would show the opposite.  I was reminded of that episode on said show where Peter and the others thought that they were the only ones left in the world and Stewie simulated the same situation for the ladies and they simply fought each other.  It's just refreshing to see a scene when push comes to shove, it's not always women who lose their shit, but sometimes guys.  Realistically, both parties would have freaked out, I think.  Terror due to being suddenly trapped is not gender limited.

I don't know what to make of the "twist ending" where the zombies were riding the meteor or whatever to Earth.  It might have been a reference to some movie or something.  Or just something to make Homer's adventure a little more ironic.  Just wish it were ironic in a funnier way.  I felt like it was unnecessary.

There were enough good bits in the episode to keep it from being completely boring.  However, I didn't think the overall idea of it was very original.  But this show has been on forever, so it's a little hard to expect them to be throwing out fresh ideas at every turn at this point.  I'm content enough that there were things to enjoy period, and nothing in particular to complain about.

Oh No, Bernadette Didn't!

Big Bang Theory, S06E09

 Sheldon and Howard began a war over territory and possessions when Howard was assigned Sheldon's unused parking space.  Amy and Bernadette also began to fight, both wanting to stick up for their men.

I knew there would be trouble once Sheldon made it known that Howard was occupying his old parking spot.  While I was thinking about Sheldon and his most famous territorial stake, his spot on the couch, I was delighted to see Howard sitting at said spot completely naked.  This was not just a funny response to Sheldon taking his Iron Man helmet, but a rightful one.  I mean, Sheldon was sort of being a bully.  I'm sure in Sheldon world it looked like Howard was coming along and taking things that were his, but the rest of the world would have to agree that Sheldon taking Howard's things is pretty childish (and a little illegal).  But then again, Howard playing along with his childish games makes him just as much a child.  I don't blame Howard, though--you gotta beat Sheldon at his own game or Sheldon will own your ass forever.  I was less surprised that Howard had to give up his parking space before Sheldon would allow him there than I was that Sheldon retaliated at one point by sitting naked in Howard's car.  Wow.  Somehow it was grosser than Howard on the couch.  I guess it's because I would never expect a germaphobe like Sheldon to sit his naked ass on anything that was disinfected first.

The boys' battle was pretty good, but it had nothing on the residual fight between Amy and Bernadette.  You could sense that a storm was brewing between them, but I still had hope that they would be mature enough not to let their emotions get in the way.  However, once one of them suggested that their man wasn't worth as much as the other, the cat fight began!  The best thing was how vicious Bernadette got, which I loved because she wasn't about to let someone talk trash about Howard.  Not only did she have Amy's car towed, she admitted to scratching it as well with not an ounce of shame.  But Bernadette really took out her claws when she told Amy the following:

Gosh, Amy, I'm sensing a little hostility.  Is it maybe because like Sheldon's work your sex life is also theoretical?

Wow!  That had my jaw dropping that was such a good burn.  Amy may have gotten a jab in suggesting that Howard and his mother were so close that it was like he wanted to be back in her womb, but Bernadette really brought the heat and could have unabashedly snapped her fingers after bringing up Sheldon and Amy's sex life.  If I was Penny at that moment, I would have been like, "It's over--just bow out, Amy."

Penny got a bruised nose out of the fight, even though she was just in the middle.  I think that's more of a hazard of being friends with someone who carries a can of change in her purse rather than the fight, really.  Amy's nutty and obviously not afraid to swing her heavy purse if you push her far enough.  I feel a little bad for Penny.  It was hard for them to stop fighting even after Penny had gotten hurt in the crossfire.  Penny should probably rethink the advantages of having the two around.

I liked this episode a lot, but I would have liked to see Raj doing something better than arguing about zombies and mummies.  It is cute that he keeps bringing up that topic, but come on.  It could have been funny to see him help Howard get back at Sheldon or something.  Although, maybe Raj is too smart to get involved in that pointless squabble (he's learned his lesson sharing an office with Sheldon).

Sheldon at least pretended to be the bigger man, and that's all we can ask of him, so it was a great ending.  Penny got the raw deal being neutral in Amy and Bernadette's fight, but she probably got off easy because making an enemy of Bernadette is obviously not something you do lightly.  I'd love to see Bernadette tell someone how it is again.  That sort of thing is almost as good as watching Sheldon getting his just desserts.

Ticking Clock

New Girl, S02E09

Jess decided to find out how many eggs she had left after her friend Sadie suggested that her age was putting her at a huge disadvantage to get pregnant.  Nick tried to finish his zombie novel, but was procrastinating at the zoo and interrupting Winston's sleep.  Schmidt failed to satisfy his boss in bed.

This episode wasn't as much funny as it was a little sad.  You had Jess freaking out about not being able to have any good eggs left by the time she met someone she loved to father her child, Nick wandering around drunk at a zoo in an attempt to live the life of a writer, and Schmidt defeated in the place he's most confident about--the bedroom.  You even had to feel a little bad for Winston because he was just trying to get to sleep and Nick kept bugging him with his novel (although, I think he just needed the support from Winston).  I just kept hoping there would be a little ray of hope at the end for them all (not so much Schmidt, though).

It was good that Jess ended up being a better egg producer than she feared, but it was sad that Cece found out that she was on a much shorter clock than her friend.  And when she talked to Robbie about having kids, he was imagining it a decade away.  Wow.  Ten years??  How old is Robbie?  Or is that just a guy thing and they just don't really feel the pressure to hurry up and have children like women do?  Man, I felt even worse for Cece at that point.  I mean, I don't really love the idea of her even having kids with Robbie, but to hear that he wasn't thinking about kids any time soon at all was disappointing.  It also made me think that if she were still with Schmidt, he'd probably jump at the idea to have her child.  I mean, he was so gun-ho when the two of them had that scare last season.  Also, he was the first to volunteer his sperm to Jess (barf!).  I'd hate to see Cece miss out on motherhood if it's something she really wanted, even if it meant that there would be a Schmidt baby running around.  I think after a while Cece's happiness would outweigh the ick factor of the father.

Nick was kinda funny with his inability to write, but not so much that I laughed aloud.  I think his funniest moment was when Jess came into his room while waiting for Winston to finish reading his novel and he jokingly (maybe?) told her that he knew she would pick him to father her baby.  I also liked that Jess played along with him for a moment and mocked trying to kiss him.  Those two are so cute...  But I was a little disappointed that his process of writing a horrible zombie novel wasn't funnier.  It felt like all the pieces were there, but it didn't really come together.  It was a little funny when Winston was reading a some of it.  I would have liked to hear him read more in that voice of his.

Winston's other almost funny moment was when he suggested that he would be the best father for Jess' baby on the grounds of the best looking features.  I never imagined that Winston would jump in there and offer to get her pregnant, but I guess it was slightly an opportunity to brag about how handsome he was, so it didn't seem too odd.  Plus, all the guys have admitted that they have thought about sex with Jess before, so it's not that crazy.  Although, sex and a baby are two different things.

This episode definitely could have been funnier.  It was a little more serious than I wanted it to be.  I think that now that Schmidt has realized the depths of his love for Cece and Cece is more conscious of her baby clock, the chances of them getting back together is a little higher than before.  I don't know if Jess will get more serious about finding the right guy, but I wish that she could see that Nick could be that guy.  There were little hints of their attraction, as always, but I want another episode where the two of them have to really explore their feelings for each other and do something about it already.

Randall, The Roommate Worth Killing Over

Ugly Americans, S02E15

Thanks to a new trend of "going zombie," the DOI was overrun with new zombies to integrate into the city.  One of such, named Carl, was under Mark's care, and they quickly become the best of friends to Randall's dismay.  However, Carl wasn't interested in Mark at all (or even a zombie) and just wanted to get Mark out of the way so he could claim his rightful place as Randall's roommate.  Before Mark could meet a watery grave, he figured out Carl's intentions and Grimes (after gaining his senses from proper medical care for his head wound)e had him arrested.  

It was strange seeing Randall as a human again.  It's been a while since we've seen what he used to look like.  He wasn't that different from how is now, but he did seem to have more purpose.  It reminded me that I have no clue what Randall actually does to pay rent or contribute anything in their apartment.  It was also a mystery why Randall would agree to make Mark his roommate, especially when Mark had such a respectable job that Randall couldn't possibly care about.  I was glad to see that there wasn't a random speck of decency in him--he just thought Mark worked in some sex club.  That cleared up a lot about the oddness of them living together.

Mark's choice in movies makes him a bigger dork than I thought was possible.  John Cusack isn't a bad actor, but for him to love him to that extent is borderline creepy (especially with that little figure of him with the boombox).  To make his taste in movies worst, he admires the style of Tyler Perry movies.  Yeah, he has some good ones, but the way Mark described him, you'd think he was a genius.  I have to say that he's more of a one-trick pony.  The characters and the situation may change slightly, but he basically tells the same kind of story every time.  Like, fawning over Cusack is fine in a over-zealous fan kind of way, but I draw the line when you bring Perry into the mix.

Besides cringing at Mark's dorkiness, I had some really good laughs.  One was when Mark and Carl went to the zombie body shop to look at arms for Carl.  Mark found them to be pricey:

[Mark] These arms cost both an arm and a leg.

[Shop Worker] Get out.

Just love how the guy would not tolerate Mark's lame jokes for a second more.  He's my kind of guy.

Another gag that I liked was the landlord of Carl's apartment in Zombie Town.  He gave Carl a set of rules that were not allowed in the apartment and after he left and Carl was laughing about his evil plan, he added another that there was to be no maniacal laughter.  I loved that that rule applied even when his landlord was somehow fishing at the same time Carl and Mark were in a later scene.  He interrupted Carl's laugh again, warning him, "What did I say about the maniacal laughter?"  I like how this show has random things that make me laugh, not necessarily things that I would anticipate.  I get caught up in the gag factor so much that sometimes I forget that it's just silly and fun.

 It was interesting to see someone obsessed with Randall who had no idea how much of an asshole (and a curse, really) he is, especially if one is living with him.  I almost felt bad for Carl, but at least he didn't have to continue being Randall's roommate at the end.  Even though Grimes demanded there be no more flashbacks, I enjoyed them all (and his and Randall's dislike of the excess of them).  For a story that focused on Mark's and Randall's relationship it was a lot less irritating and funnier than I expected.  I guess that was because for once Randall wasn't the one stirring up the most trouble.  It's nice that once in a while Randall can be somewhat innocent in it all.