Leslie Hacked, Ann's Request, And Andy's Charity

Parks and Recreation, S05E15

Leslie had her jokes stolen by an enemy at the Pawnee Sun, and she asked her friends to help her fight against the woman hacking into her emails.  Ben asked April, Andy, and Tom to help him pick a charity at his new job, and April got angry at him when he didn't choose Andy's pick, which could have cheered him up about failing the police academy.  Ann asked Ron for help on how to ask Chris to be sperm donor.

Leslie's jokes for the Correspondence Lunch weren't that great, but it was still annoying that Kim had hacked her email and stolen all her ideas.  What a bitch.  I don't know what Leslie's done to her to make her the butt of every joke in her paper.  Actually, opposed to Leslie's jokes I liked the one that Ron suggested to her that she didn't use:

[Ron] I have a joke for you.[Leslie] OK.[Ron] The government in this town is excellent and uses your tax dollars efficiently.[goofy laugh]
[Leslie] That's not really a joke.[Ron] I disagree.  I find it hilarious.

I liked at the end, thanks to Donna's plan, Amy brought up a rumor from a fake email Donna had sent, revealing Kim's guilt.  That stupid bitch.  It  was funny that they had brought up a fictional thing from Stars Wars, making Kim look like an even bigger idiot.  It's too bad that people there didn't boo her or something.  She couldn't have enough humiliation in my book.

One of my favorite parts about Ben's story was when he told April and the others why he had brought them there.  April quickly let him know she hadn't come to help:

[April] Pass.[Ben] You came down here to pass on helping me?[April] Yeah, I wanted to see what your face looked like when I said no.  It was totally worth it.

Ben's job at Sweetums Foundation is insane.  I can't believe how fancy it is around there with the expensive food, massages, and office space as if Ben was the CEO of a global corporation.  Tom was soaking it up like he was duck in a pond (no surprise there), but I can't believe that Ben didn't feel the irony of having to settle for one charity while they wasted so much money on fringe benefits.  What I did like is that Andy, even in his depressed state, could see that as plain as day.  He's pretty sharp when it comes to certain things.  Since Ben eliminated all of the wasteful spending on pampering the employees, I wonder if there will be enough money to do the music program that Andy wanted.  It was so cute when Andy hugged Ben after he finally realized that Ben was hiring him as his assistant at the foundation.  Yay!  Andy might have found a new calling.

Ann made an awkward mess out of asking Chris to be the father of her baby.  She could have easily just pulled him somewhere private at work and asked him, yet she beat around the bush so much that Ron forced her to do it where someone like Perd could listen in.  Luckily, Chris wasn't repulsed by the idea so much as he was a little shocked.  However, he seems like he may eventually say yes to her.  Here's hoping--I think they would have a really adorable child together.

What I liked most about Ann's story best was her talking to Ron in his office.  I loved what he said to her when she first ran into his office for help:

 I wish this office had only walls.

You really got a sense that he didn't like anyone just stopping by his office, no matter what their business was.  Ann later came to praise Ron for his advice, but he didn't even want to hear that:

[Ann] I gotta tell you Ron.  You were absolutely and totally right.[Ron] I know.  Stop talking and get out.[Ann] Yep.

Ann barely sat down before Ron essentially kicked her out.  I wish I could cue people to leave with just a few words like that with no further questions nor complaints.

Oh, I also liked at the very beginning where Leslie and Ben were dishing out presents from their honeymoon.  They gave Ron a Hawaiian god of anger who looked like Ron when he was at work.  It really did look a whole lot like him, even though Ron doesn't bare his teeth like that.

This was a good episode to follow that amazing one before it.  It helped get the excitement of their wedding out of your system and return to the usual stories of lesser importance, but still with the usual comedy.  Chris might be soon fathering Ann's child, and Andy will soon be working for Ben to help people in a different, but still useful, way than he would have if he became a police officer.  I'm not so sure how well Ben and Andy will work together, but it could turn out to be funny.  After all, Ben is a riot when working with April and Tom, so him and Andy might be another hilarious pair.

I Want Better Costumes!

Community, S04E02

Jeff and the others stopped by Pierce's house after he called saying that he was locked in his panic room.  Pierce told them that the reason he had holed up in there was because he thought he saw his father's ghost.  As the gang explored the house for the notebook with the access code to free Pierce, they we frightened by several freaky occurrences.

Seeing a Halloween story on Valentine's Day was refreshing in that it wasn't typical, but it did remind me that this show was supposed to have started back up in October.  Still, instead of seeing a bunch of hearts and candy, I was able to enjoy everyone in costumes.  Or I would have been able to if they were good ones.  I liked when they dressed up as celebrities for some kid's party more than what they decided to wear to Vicky's party.  I mean, I've seen Princess Leia a million times as a costume, even if it was adorable that her whole family was doing characters from that movie.  Britta was a ham--boring.  Jeff was a boxing--yawn.  Annie's wasn't too bad, especially since she mistook the girl from Ring for being a girl who announces the matches at a boxing ring.  I prefer what she ended up with than something like what Dean had did (who was sort of cute as a ring girl).  Abed's costume was cute too, but I had no idea who he was until I looked it up.  He and Troy were dressed up as Calvin and Hobbes!  Wow.  I would have never gotten that on my own.  That makes me like the stupid-looking tiger costume Troy was in a whole lot better and absolutely makes me adore Abed's (which was cute without knowing the reference).  I was initially a little concerned that they didn't go all out for a costume opportunity, but they exceeded my expectations.

Besides that most of the costumes weren't too impressive, I also didn't like too much that they ended up at Pierce's house.  I was prety much like Jeff the whole time, suspecting that he was up to something.  I liked that when everyone else was willing to give Pierce the benift of the doubt, Jeff was appalled at their sympathy:

What in the Scooby Doo is happening to you people?!

That was about the only line that stands out to me from the story.  There was more of a focus on the "horror" going on in the house than comedy, really.  That and Britta trying to show Jeff that he missed not having a father more than he let on.  The only thing interesting about that (it was mostly annoying that Britta was doing more of her "therapy") was that Jeff had found out his father's number, but hadn't gotten around to calling him.  I suspect that he was too scared to do so until the events of that night had passed.  Although, I'm not sure that I'm eager to see Jeff's dad or not.  After not knowing him for some many years, I can't imagine that their reunion will be a good one.

When it all turned out to be a Halloween prank just like Jeff had predicted, I wasn't as annoyed as I would have been if Gilbert hadn't appeared and had a sweet moment with Pierce.  Maybe with more brotherly love in his life, Pierce might be a little less insufferable.  At the moment, he's sort of like a fly that you swat at that just won't go away.  As he's an important part of the "study group," I would like to enjoy his character a little more.  At least for the time he'll be around (I've heard rumor that Chevy Chase won't be on the show for the entire season).

Finally, I just wish there was a little more Abed.  Like I said before, there was a focus on Jeff and his father problems, which I'm not too concerned with right now.  I did like that Abed was excited about finding a secret room and he was spying on his friends from the security room like it was reality TV or something, but that just wasn't enough for me.  I was a little happier when the extra segment showed Abed and Troy playing around with the secret door and Pierce came out and demanded to know who was in his house.  I like seeing them mess around with him like he's their crazy uncle or something.

This episode wasn't bad, but it could be better.  Somehow I'm wondering if the season is just off to a slow start or if my tastes have changed.  I don't know how I feel about Jeff bringing up his long-lost father.  That story could go either way.  Pierce's haunted house was a let down, as were most of the costumes.  However, Abed and Troy brought their A game, so I can't complain too much about that.  I just want there to be a little more Abed (and Troy) moments.  They're the kind of duo that I can't get enough of seeing.

Sheldon Gets Laid

Big Bang Theory, S06E14

Sheldon and Kripke had to work on a proposal together, and Sheldon was distraught when he noticed that Kripke's work was better than his.  Howard and Raj bought figures that were supposed to look like them, but the delivered products waere worse than they expected.  To correct it, they purchased a 3-D printer together that upset Bernadette.

What I liked most about Sheldon's story was that it just involved Kripke.  Besides the way that he talks, he's sort of the coolest of the guy's coworkers (besides that one girl who was dating Leonard at one time) and I enjoy his appearance.  He usually comes around as one of the guys' antagonist, but I end up liking him because he's got this air of confidence about him that you don't see in Leonard, Raj, and Howard.  So when he is put up against Sheldon, who's also teeming with confidence, it makes a pretty funny situation.  I wasn't surprised that Sheldon thought that working with Kripke would just slow him down, but I was surprised that Sheldon could admit to anyone that Kripke's work was above his own.  I feel like either Sheldon's sort of growing as a person that he could admit that or the devastation of losing intellectually to Kripke had put Sheldon in such a pitiful state that he couldn't bend reality to suit his own needs (as he usually does).  I'm going more towards the latter, especially since Sheldon lied about the reasons his work wasn't up to par lately.

The best thing about Sheldon being in despair was when Leonard and Penny came home to find him listening to "The Imperial March" with a blanket over his head.  If that wasn't funny enough, Leonard described the music as a warning of Sheldon's unhappiness that would lead to him destroying the planet.  I couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid Sheldon completely than do as Penny had suggested and talk to him.  But if they had just run away, we wouldn't have gotten to see Sheldon looking like a villian from Star Wars.  His overly dramatic reaction to problems sometimes end up being pretty great.

When Sheldon was explaining to Kripke about him getting laid and such, it was painful to listen to Sheldon describe what he was doing to Amy.  He might as well read from a textbook the mechanics of sex than the awkward and unnatural lies he was telling Kripke.  But it was hilarious how interested Kripke was and how excited he got to hear Sheldon "brag" about him and Amy.  He even gave Sheldon dap, to which Sheldon confusedly just grasped Kripke's fist in response.  Never did I imagine that Sheldon would get to boast about his sexual conquests, even made-up ones, to anyone.

It was interesting also that Sheldon admitted that the possibility of him becoming physical with Amy existed.  Penny was nearly squealing with excitement to hear that.  I didn't think Sheldon was lying about that (because he's the worst liar ever), but I'll believe that when I see it.  I could see Sheldon giving it a try, like he did letting Amy hug him, but I don't think he'll be able to go through with it to the end.  Speaking of that hug, I liked that Sheldon compared it to a boa constrictor but he still didn't want Amy to stop hugging him.  That was kind of cute.  At least he can always count on her hugs the next time he's ever that down again.  Sheldon might one day grow to actually love hugs (from Amy maybe).

In Howard and Raj's story, I sort of could identify with their love of figures.  I have a bit of an obsession with that myself and if I were into action figures, I might be tempted to waste money like that on a personalized one (though $500 is way to steep for me).  The money aside, I'd probably be wary of anything I have to buy like that off the internet because anyone with enough experience shopping knows that it's like playing roulette.  Of course, Howard and Raj ended up with horrible-looking figures (bordering on a little racist).  It wouldn't have been much of a story if they hadn't.  Still, I would have been so pissed to get a figure that made me look like another race or doubled the size of my nose.  I would have raised hell to the manufacturers, regardless if sales were final.  For something like that as expensive as it was, accepting shoddy work is unacceptable.  But I guess that's why they went ahead and bought that 3-D printer.

I didn't remember at first that Bernadette actually makes a good bit of money.  I suppose it's because I tend to forget what her job is, and she's classy enough to not flaunt it.  Apparently Howard's not too proud to flaunt his sugar mama and buy big ticket items without her consent.  He was lucky that Bernadette didn't kick his ass for that stunt.  But I have to say that the printer was kind of cool.  I couldn't see that machine being worth the money personally, but it would be fun to make different items from it (something a little more creative than a whistle).

I liked this episode, mainly because Sheldon was plagued by Kripke's better ideas for their proposal, while Kripke was cheering for Sheldon because of all the imaginary sex he was getting.  I sort of hope that Kripke spreads those lies around enough that it gets to Amy.  She might not be bedding Sheldon any time soon, but with him pretending he's doing it, she's gotta be at least one step closer to that being a reality.  Howard pushed it too far when making Bernadette his personal piggy bank.  I think from now on he'll be missing a lot of lunches for Pokemon and the like purchases.

Leave My TV Alone, Peter

Family Guy, S11E02

The Griffins were selected to be a Nielsen family, which gave Peter a lot of power to influence local TV shows.  Peter stole more of the Nielsen boxes when he realized this and started to ruin TV nationwide.

This episode poked a lot of fun at many different TV shows while Peter took advantage of being a part of the Nielsen family.  They also went after some of the people who play a hand in making some of the popular TV as well, which was nice as well.  I'm glad that Family Guy didn't go too crazy with bashing any particular show, but they did make sure they got a jab at as many as possible before the half hour was over.

One of Peter's first changes to TV when he suggested that prairie dogs pop up during the news whenever Tom said something sad was kind of funny in a cute way.  I just find news in general to be a little too serious (and rightly so), so I enjoy Peter's attempt to make it a little more entertaining for the simple-minded (which I can tend to be).

I was a little annoyed later when Stewie was concerned that the volume on their TV wasn't working:

No matter how low I turn the volume, Aziz Ansari is always shouting at me.  What did I do?

He's not that loud!  I know it's a joke and all, but come on.  When I think of Aziz, him shouting all the time isn't the first thing that comes to mind, so I'm annoyed that they didn't think of something more clever for him.  Boo.  But least they didn't say anything racist because they love to go down that road whenever they can.

My favorite TV star they mentioned was definitely Jon Hamm.  I think he is hilarious when he's not playing a dramatic role (though sometimes I think Don is hilarious), and I had no idea he was gonna to pop up on this show.  He and Peter had a pretty funny conversation:

[Peter] Hello, Jon Hamm?  Peter Griffin, Nielsen family.  Listen, did I catch you at a good time, or are you and the critics busy sucking each other’s butts?
[Hamm] Excuse me?
[Peter] Look, your show is really boring. But don’t worry, I got some ideas on how you can jazz it up.
[Hamm] Listen, I don’t need your suggestions, pal.  I’ve been a big celebrity for a year and a half now.

But then Hamm changes his mind when Peter makes their ratings drop and listens to his suggestions to put in light sabers and Kiss (I think) playing the theme to Star Wars.  For a show like Mad Men, that is just the craziest thing ever, but I feel like it would be so off the wall that I would totally watch an episode like that.  I'd like Family Guy to make some more jokes about Mad Men if they are going to give me as good as a laugh I had last Sunday night.

That was about the best thing in the episode, but I also liked Mayor West complaining about Cougar Town:

You put a real cougar on Cougar Town, and now that cougar’s dead because Courtney Cox ripped it apart with her teeth and claws!

And I also liked Peter basically summarizing what J.J. Abrams' shows are like while speaking to him:

[Peter] J.J. Abrams, you take wonder and complexity and present it in a way that no one can possibly understand.  Whaddaya got?!
[Abrams] I’ve got an alien that goes back in time and encounters a koala bear in an Eastern European town.
[Peter] Totally confused.  Do it!

I'm still not sure what the hell was going on in Lost, which was really aptly named.  Haha.

I also thought it was nice of them to do this episode in memory of the deceased Phyllis Diller and Michael Clarke Duncan.  I enjoy when they dedicate these episodes because it just sort of helps the memory of their lives live on.

This could be one of my favorites for this season, but it is a little early to know whether something will top it later on.  I hope that there are a lot of stories with a lot of good jokes, like this one, instead of like last season where I felt I spent most of my time complaining about what I didn't like.  Good job this time!

Grown Men's Gaming Marathon

Big Bang Theory, S05E19

For a quick minute, it looked like Sheldon was going to act like a normal boyfriend (if you can ignore that Amy had to uphold their contract agreement to request his presence) and accompany his girlfriend to a family event.  But a leopard can't change its spots.  Not if a marathon of Star Wars games is involved.  You had to feel bad for Amy, regardless if Amy knew what kind of guy she was dating.

Unexpectedly, the whip app gag was my favorite thing in this episode.  It sort of got better the more they did it, especially when Sheldon got to use it back on Howard due to Bernadette fifth-wheeling on their boys-only gaming sleepover. 

Speaking of her participation, she was kinda of cute the way she kept "girling" up their playtime.  I liked how she kept made guns with her hands, complete with shooting sound effects.  I don't like pink, but her pink laptop, too, was so Bernadette, and it was a good contrast to the nerd gang and their hardcore geek machines.

The last thing that made me chuckle was when Sheldon and Leonard discussed Grand Theft Auto and how polite they were to the prostitutes.  Sheldon had no idea that these women were selling their bodies for money:

Those women were prostitutes?  You said they were raising money for stem cell research.

Raj's meltdown wasn't that funny, but it did make me think about how pathetic he is if Sheldon can have a girlfriend of some sorts, but no one still wants Raj.  It made me realize that perhaps Raj is better about his shyness to women because his blowout happened while three women were still in the room, and he told Bernadette to hurry up and go (which she did, leaving her computer behind).

This certainly isn't in the top of my favorite stories, but it was good enough that I would want to see it again when it's up for a rerun.  Hopefully, now that Raj has shouted his frustrations about being the only single nerd left, the Big Bang Theory universe will throw him a bone and at least give him a successful encounter with a woman.  He doesn't have to get a girlfriend by the next episode, but it would be nice for him to get a little attention.  After all, what has Raj done that is so bad that even Sheldon is a bigger "playa" than him?