Whether Bum Or Sneaky Lawyer--He's Hot

How I Met Your Mother, S08E07

Barney was being scouted by strip clubs after leaving his longtime favorite and hired Robin to be his agent.  Marshall vouched for an old law school buddy for a job at his firm and  lost credibility with his boss after the interview was a disaster.  Ted wanted to prove that he wasn't a "piggyback stamper" and desperately searched for proof he had vouched for something cool on his own.

Well, no such luck for Barney and Robin to kickstart their old relationship, but you definitely could see them clicking like they always have.  Anyone who could agree to handle Barney's strip club decision is a match made in heaven for him.  I think it's really weird that he puts so much money into strip clubs that they would be fighting over him, but Barney has always lived an abnormal life.  At the end where they were kissing, I got my hopes up that they would slid back into Barbin, but Robin wasn't having any of it.  Before I thought they should ease on into it, but after seeing how well they get along on something so ridiculous as strip club scouting, I don't see any reason they shouldn't be together already.  Barney seems into it--dunno what Robin's problem is.  If it's anything, it better be guilt.  She still needs to apologize for what she did.

I guess I forgot until I saw this episode that Marshall is a completely good guy.  He just sees the good in people, which makes sense that he has Ted as his best friend and can promote him, despite that Ted has a lot of annoying flaws.  It was cute when he actually gave his stamp of approval a stamp of approval.  Geez.  But the best thing about his story and this episode all together was that his old school buddy Brad was played by Joe Manganiello.  Holy crap--freaking Alcide from True Blood!  It's amazing that he can still look hot while in a hoodie and a mustard-stained shirt.  I was thrilled to see him, especially when he was telling Marshall's boss that there was no way he was six feet unless he stood on top of a pot of gold.  Not only did he make Marshall look bad but he also turned out to be on the opposing side of Marshall's biggest case.  Oh, snap!  That was a pretty shitty thing to do to Marshall who was just trying to be kind, but I just love that actor so much that I was just excited to know that he was possibly going to appear in at least one more episode.  I don't care if he makes Marshall cry--I definitely wanna see more of him!  Best guest star on this show ever!

Ted had another pathetic story.  He is really a sorry individual since being single.  The only thing I liked is that he sort of gave his original stamp of approval for Lily back when Marshall had only begun to date Lily.  He did backtrack on his stamp a little, but he mostly convinced Marshall that Lily was a good deal.  That was nice because I was just shaking my head at him spiraling into self-pity about himself.  I can't believe it's taken him so long to figure out that he's never really amazed anyone with his "discoveries" about things.

I liked this episode.  I suppose Barney and Robin will really have to start having a conversation about getting back together in the next episode (I'd be pissed if they decided to just ignore that kiss).  Joe Manganiello has appeared as Marshall's rival and I freaking love it.  Really can't wait to see his handsome face again next week.  Ted, on the other hand, can hide his face for a few weeks.  I'm about ready for him to get his damn act together.  Can't take another story about him being a sorry son of bitch.

Emma, The Bad Boy Magnet

Once Upon A Time, S02E06

Emma volunteered to go up the beanstalk with Hook, and they worked together to find the compass in the giant's belongings.  Emma's sorted past was revealed, where she committed petty crimes with Henry's father.

I want to start with Emma's past.  I really didn't want to see a flashback about her, even if it did shed some light on Henry's father, until I saw that her first love (I'm assuming) was played by the same guy who played Renee on True Blood!  Wow.  I couldn't help but think of him as that character throughout the episode, especially since I failed to catch his name on OUAT and had to look it up.  Besides being entertained by Neal's actor, I was engaged in her flashback when August made an appearance and became the reason that the two split.  I was further surprised that Emma only spent 11 months in a minimum-security correction facility and that was where Henry was born (although, it might have already been mentioned that he was a prison baby).  No wonder Emma has so many walls up when she spent time in jail, lost her love, and lost her baby all in a short period of time.  She sort of has August to blame for that, but if Emma wasn't already stealing cars in the first place, she would have never met Neal.  She did get a car out of it, but that's hardly a compensation.  I'm surprised that she still wanted to use it after all the pain he probably put her through.

I did like that this episode explained who the hell that guy was in the season premiere that I didn't recognize as the actor from TB at the time.  It was Neal and he had finally gotten the postcard from August that the curse was broken and he could he could return to Emma's side.  I guess.  I doubt she would take him back very easily.  That could add some drama along the way if Emma ever makes it back to Storybrooke.

But I wonder what it was that August showed Neal in that box to make him believe in magic.  Because whatever it was, how come that didn't work on Emma?  Or was it the same as her not being able to see August turning into wood thing--because she didn't want to believe, she couldn't see the magic right in front of her.  I hope they will let us know what he had in that box (unless it's something we've already been shown and I've just forgotten).

In the present, I was glad to see Emma and Hook climb the beanstalk together because they were kinda of funny.  I mean, he was telling her that he knew her because he had experiences with the Lost Boys, who had the same look as she did.  Emma didn't care for that, nor for him openly flirting with her.  This was funny, but also a little creepy because I know that Hook has to be kinda old (he's been preserved thanks to his time in Neverland).  Anyone who knew Rump before he became the Dark One, has to be a little long in the tooth.  But Hook might have just been teasing her to get her guard down and sort of gain her trust.  I liked that they managed to take the giant down together (and that the giant was played by Lost's Jorge Garcia--cool), but ultimately when the giant was free it was Emma that got shit done and got the compass in her hand.  I loved that although Hook thought they were buddies at the end, she cuffed him and left him up there so she could get a head start.

Well, Emma and the rest have half of what they need to get home, but I don't know how they'll manage to get that wardrobe dust from Cora without suffering some damage.  Plus, I don't think that Hook will be so eager to work with them again with Emma sort of betraying him (even though she had a lot of reason not to trust him).

And what's up with that red room that Aurora and Henry were dreaming about?  It sounds really creepy and makes it sound like they are connected in some way.  Their dreams did differ slightly with Aurora seeing a man looking at her, and Henry seeing a woman (were they seeing each other?).  I can't guess what kind of disaster those dreams are foretelling.

I have to admit that I missed Rump in this episode.  Every episode can't be about him, but even with these guest stars and Hook sleezing on Emma, I wasn't so focused on this week's story that I didn't wonder what was up with the rest of Storybrooke at that time.  I'm really anxious to get back to a Storybrooke-centric story.  Emma's love story was okay, but I don't think I'll be okay to see more of her story next time.  Save that for maybe five more episodes later.  Haha.

This Fall's Shows

What's New This Fall??

Now that most shows that I love will soon be coming back into broadcast, I'll finally come back to this blog.  Actually, I intended to keep posting through the summer, but I felt a little disappointed by a lot of shows, especially True Blood (worst season ever!).  Because those shows underwhelmed me, and I knew that there would be plenty of that going on in the fall, I decided to not bother writing about it.

I'm pretty much going to continue posting on all the same shows I did last time around, except Grimm, which has already started its second season (to my huge surprise).  I may drop some other shows that I recall being quite frustrated with by the time they had come to the season finale, but I'll give them a couple more episodes this season to see if they can turn things around (off the top of my head is How I Met Your Mother--it better step it up!).  The only show I anticipate starting this season is The Mindy Project.  It looks like it could be funny and cute.  I also may try The New Normal.  That already has a few episodes out, but I haven't gotten around to seeing any yet.  So we shall see.

Anyway, I'm most excited to see Once Upon A Time, and that there will be a second season to Suburgatory, a show I'm not so sure so many people liked as much as I did.  Another surprise was that 2 Broke Girls got another season--wow.  I mean, after seeing that Ringer (I never posted on it, but I had enjoyed watching it) got cancelled when I felt it had a lot of potential (and I wanted to see what happened next, damnit!!), it just amazes me what gets picked up again.

This fall I hope that my shows don't disappoint me as much as they did last year and hopefully I can find some new ones that are as good as Once Upon A Time was last year (which I will call my personal Fall 2011 MVP)!

More Flashbacks, More Fairies

True Blood, S05E03

Tara tried to seek help from Sam, wanting to avoid Lafayette and Sookie.  Andy began to question about Debbie's disappearance, and Sookie had to come clean to Alcide.  Eric and Bill were saved from execution, but were tested by an Authority councilor to see if they could be trusted.  Pam continued to remember how she came to be Eric's child.  Jason encountered the teacher who taught him how to have sex and realized that sex didn't comfort him like it used to.  Jessica realized that Jason wanted more than a physical relationship and assured him that she could be a friend who was also a woman.

If there was some way I could feel sorry for Tara having to adjust to being a vampire, which she hated, and trying to resist harming innocent people, I would do it.  But she is just so damn annoying!  Tara took a bullet for Sookie, and Sookie had someone she disliked help save her life in return.  When Tara takes the moment to stop freaking out over her new found hunger and abilities, maybe she'll see that people loved her enough to not want to be visiting her grave every day. Perhaps if Pam gets annoyed enough she might take Tara under her wing and settle her ass down.  Pam, at least, is a pretty cool and collected vampire and would make a good role model for Tara.

However, she did lose it when Sookie was bothering her about Tara when Eric had been missing for days.  Sookie was lucky that she didn't get her neck bitten off, pestering her about an act that she and Lafayette made her do.  But I was surprised that Sookie was able to control her fairy powers enough to retaliate against Pam and send her flying.  Damn!  I almost wished that the fight had escalated.  Sometimes Sookie pushes her damn luck.  I know that she doesn't have full control over those powers just yet, so she should be a little more careful about attacking vampires who would gladly see her dead.

I suppose what I liked best about this episode was Pam's 1905 flashback when Eric came to her establishment.  He wanted to have Pam, but she refused him unless he would take care of the vampires who were draining some of her girls dry.  It turned out these vampires were none other than Bill and Lorena!  That wasn't interesting to me until I realized this was the first time that Bill and Eric met.  Bill was still quite the greenhorn vampire who seemed to have nothing but contempt for Eric.  But Eric recognized Bill's talent, I suppose, and was gracious enough to let Lorena and Bill (who glared at Eric instead of apologizing) go without any bloodshed.  Classy.  And it adds upon the relationship between Bill and Eric which has been horrible until recently.  I wonder when it was that they met each other again (possibly when Eric became sheriff?).  I also wonder what it was about Pam that Eric felt strongly enough not to let her die, but take her on as his child.  I dunno.  Eric can't be that compassionate.

Oh, there was a random fairy who appeared.  He was fairly good-looking (as fairies are supposed to be) and reminded me that the fairies who have been on the show so far annoy me with their average looks.  But I was worried that Jessica following the fairy was going to get her killed or something.  I've read the books and I can't get over at how vicious and sadistic fairies were (though I don't think they are as bad in the TV version).  Still, I think the fact they are still floating around town is going to have some kind of dangerous consequences down the road.  Hopefully in an interesting way, not a stupid way.

I was none too surprised that Alcide didn't accept Sookie's confession too well.  Any guy with some sense would think that Sookie wasn't a very good friend.  However, just because I like Alcide, I hope that he forgives her.  She will surely need his help to keep the Pelts off her back.  Once they find out that Sookie is the one who murdered their daughter, they'll be an addition to the list of people who will want to kill her (the foremost being Russell once he gets back on his feet).

Jason also surprised me by visiting his past when he had sex with his former teacher (again), but then realized that sex being the highpoint of his life and worth didn't fulfill him anymore (if it ever truly did).  I was really happy to see that he resisted Jessica and wished to be treated like a human not a sex robot.  It was even better when Jessica wasn't so horny to not listen to his feelings and offered to lend him her ear like a real friend.  I guess she really is serious about Jason after all.  I was worried that she was all talk and might lose interest in him if he wasn't getting naked for her.  There is hope for those two yet.

I think overall this episode wasn't that exciting, possibly because nothing really happened.  Bill and Eric were still stuck on Authority grounds, Tara was still being a bitchy newborn vampire, and Arlene was no closer to finding out what was going on with Terry than she was before.  Truly, if there wasn't a Pam flashback and Jason's revelation that sex wouldn't whitewash all his problems, I would have been pretty bored.  Next time, I'd like to see Pam have a bigger role (that wasn't in a flashback) and find out what's going on with these fairies in town.  Hopefully, Russell won't make a move any time soon because I'm not quite ready for him to come in and cause havoc just yet.  That's either going to be really great or really terrible.

How Much Would You Pay For Jason?

True Blood, S05E02

Sookie and Lafayette struggled to look after Tara who was raging around the house.  Eric and Bill were interrogated and tortured at an Authority holding area.  Arlene tried to get to the bottom of what was wrong with Terry.  Luna gave Sam the boot when he tried to give his two cents about Emma.  Steve offered money to Jessica to hand over Jason to him.

The winner this week for best scene in this episode was hands-down when Steve approached Jessica for the use of Jason for 10 grand--cash.  I had hoped that he hadn't given up on Jason so easily, and this time he really showed that he was indeed determined to get his hands on him.  I was dying with laughter when Jessica was teasing him about how hot Jason was so he would double his offer.  Luckily, she wasn't about to pimp out her friend.  Still, Steve seems that he is going to keep causing trouble for Jessica until he gets what he wants.  I'm very interested to see what else he might do.  Also, I loved when he just barged into her party and was getting along with those college students so well.  Wow.

The second best scene for me was when Lafayette had to offer Tara some True Blood, and he looked terrified and pulled up his sweater around his neck.  I freaking love when Lafayette is kinda scared shitless--his expressions are so funny!  But I felt myself feeling sorry for him when he was about to stake Tara, and he confessed that he had her turned because he didn't have anyone without her now that Jesus was gone.  Aww!  As much as I hate Tara, I don't want to see Lafayette so sad and lonely!  If Tara can just manage to be there for him, I can tolerate her ass still being alive.

Another scene that had me very interested was Bill and Eric being interrogated.  I was amazed at how they refused to sell one another out, no matter what happened to them.  Even better, I love that Eric can still be sarcastic when his life is on the line.  He cracks me up.  Of course, it would feel a little out of character for him if Eric was cowering in fear or something.  Not only is he brave no matter what, but he's also so damn loyal!  I was surprised that when it looked like "Guardian (who the hell is that guy?)" was going to stake Bill, Eric tried to throw all the blame on himself to save him.  Man, they are really going to be friends forever once this Authority business is done (perhaps it's all due to the fact they don't have to fight over Sookie anymore?).

Their interrogation also brought up the issue of the Vampire Bible, where it was said that God was a vampire and created the first vampire in his image, and humans were just created to feed vampires.  That's interesting.  Then they showed the chancellors engaging in this very religious ceremony where they all consumed blood (like communion or something).  It was weird seeing vampires engaging in their own religious rituals.  

The last thing that I liked in this episode was seeing Eric circa 1905.  Since it was Pam's flashback, I'm pretty sure that many fans like myself were just waiting for Eric to make an appearance dawned in that century's style of clothing.  I think that it suited him pretty well, and I loved him calmly licking his bloody hand before he started chatting with Pam.  Since Eric left right after giving Pam some money to cover her ruined dress, we still haven't seen when she was turned by Eric.  I'm guessing that he probably showed up another time at her place of employment another day.  Though, I can't see Eric really needing to pay anyone to sleep with him.  Hopefully we'll get to see the continuation of the vampire Pam origin story.

Lastly, I just want to mention how insane Luna is for kicking Sam out of her house (and life, basically).  He almost got himself killed by wolves for her and her daughter's sake!  I'm sure he would do it even if they weren't dating, but she is all kinds of crazy to tell him that it's her way or the highway like that.  Hopefully now that she's seen that her daughter is indeed a wolf after all, maybe she'll stop acting like a bitch and lean on Sam.  She could do a lot worse for someone in the supernatural world, anyway.  At least when things go to hell, Sam would be around for support.  That's enough to keep him around, considering her connection with the werewolves in town.  But I wonder if she'll break down and go to Emma's grandmother for help or will she apologize to Sam?  Either of those choices are better than her being a stubborn bitch and trying to handle everything for herself.  She best come to her senses and realize Sam's the best thing that's happened to her in a while (although, he can be a bit of trouble magnet himself).

I liked this episode a lot more than I did the first.  I was worried that I was going to be watching, but not that invested in what was mostly going on, but I'm surprised by how much I like the Jessica versus Steve battle and Eric and Bill's involvement with the Authority.  I'm not looking forward to Eric and Bill taking down Russell, but it's good that they were able to use his escape to prolong their lives for a while.  I'm sure that they will find a way to redeem themselves by stopping the ex-King from causing more havoc.  But of course, more than that I want to see Steve try another way to get Jason.  I have a feeling that's going to be the funniest storyline this season.

Tara Lives On, Lafayette Gets A Razor

True Blood, S05E01

Sookie and Lafayette asked Pam to help them save Tara by turning her into a vampire.  In order to save Luna and Emma, Sam took the blame for Marcus' murder.  Eric and Bill began to run from the Authority with help from Eric's "sister," Nora.  Jason became more smitten with Jessica after she saved him from vampire Steve, but she still only thought of him as a friend.  Terry tried to make sure Patrick didn't reveal anything from his past that would ruin his current life.  Alcide tried to warn others that Russel Edgington had escaped from the concrete.

Until I re-watched the last season, I had forgotten that Tara had been shot in the head and seemed dead.  It's not so surprising I would forget about her because I couldn't care less if she lived or died.  That's why I was disappointed that Pam showed up when she did because it gave Sookie and Lafayette a chance to save her.  Of all the people I could have imagined turning, I would have never guessed Tara (even when she was stuck with Franklin).  I like that Sookie will owe Pam a favor (which is definitely not going to be anything pleasant), but I wish that Tara wouldn't come back at all.  I'm tired of her inability to deal with all the horrible shit that's happened to her.  I know she's had it rough, but I can only stand so much bitching about how miserable life is until I feel like she needs to throw in the towel.  However, she may be a lot less whiney once she's lost her human heart (and has Pam as her maker).  I already knew that her first target might be Sookie once she got out of the ground, so that wasn't much of a surprise.  It'll be a surprise if Tara doesn't want to kick Lafayette and Sookie's ass for making her lose her humanity.  That would be very Tara-like, after all.  That ungrateful bitch.

My favorite thing about this episode was that Lafayette didn't off himself when he saw that razor and instead shaved off that horrible mohawk from last season.  It just wasn't cute!  And I was staring at him in the tub before he saw the razor, thinking to myself about how it's a shame that another year hadn't lapsed (as did when Sookie went to the fairy world) so that he could have enough time for a new hairdo.  So glad someone out there was listening to me (and possibly other fans who didn't care for that hair?).  I'll be most glad, however, when Lafayette can cheer up and start dressing like he's not in mourning anymore.  I miss his outfits.

If I had to pick another favorite part, it would have been when Steve showed up at Jason's door as a vampire.  It's funny that my sister had asked me during the previous episode why he was dressed so gay and I replied that it didn't mean anything, but I guess he always did carry a torch for Jason.  That's not too surprising at all.  After all, Jason is a man who could attract practically anyone he wanted, and he and Steve were quite close at once.  Thankfully, Jason didn't have to be forced to love Steve because Jessica came along and claimed him.  Unfortunately, Jessica doesn't want to step their relationship up, but I'm sure she'll come around sooner or later.  More than Jason get with Jessica, I'd like Hoyt to stop holding a grudge against Jason.  I can't help but take Jason's side in the matter, even if he was the one who did wrong.  Jason will make mistakes for sure, but when push comes to shove, he's there for people.  I'm starting to wish that Hoyt would just disappear and stop torturing his ex-best friend.

As much as I like Eric, I hate that he seems to be able to forget Sookie so easily.  True, she tossed both he and Bill to the curb, but damn.  To sense that she was in danger, but to just say "Fuck Sookie," is a little harsh.  She's done so much for the two of them that I feel like they just are eternally in her debt.  But, at this point, I feel like the two of them may as well get caught by the Authority.  I just kind of want to see what all this Authority business is about.  I'm a little glad that just when it looked like Eric and Bill might get away, they were ambushed by the Authority.  Finally, we might get to see more of the vampires who are behind the order kept over their kind.

I feel like Russell getting loose was bound to happen, but I hoped it would happen much later down the road.  It just seems like everyone else has enough on their plate without him coming back to get his revenge.  I'll be angry if Sookie has to suffer for it because she had no idea that Bill and Eric didn't kill him in the first place.  If she gets caught by him and neither of those two can do anything for her, I'm going to be pissed.

As far as Sam goes, I don't worry about him too much because he's a survivor.  It sucks that he was trying to take the wrath of the werewolf pack just to save his girl and pay back Alcide, but I like seeing Sam being so tough in the face of probable death.  He may not be the best guy around, but at least he's not a coward or throws other people under the bus to help himself.  I love Sam, and I'm glad that Luna got Alcide to admit that he wasn't guilty.  Whether or not that will actually get him off the hook is yet to be determined.  I feel like Sam won't be freed of his association with the wolves anytime soon.

I'm not too interested in Terry, but Patrick mentioning the fires does raise my intrigue.  I had thought a ghost was trying to burn their house down, but maybe it wasn't.  What in the world could be coming to get Terry and his friends from the past with fires?  Did they piss off some supernatural thing while their were in Iraq?  I hope it's as interesting as it seems and not something really stupid (like a lot of things in True Blood seem to be).

I'm glad to have one of my favorite shows back, but so far, I'm not too impressed by the stories.  Of course, I know that this show can go all sorts of directions in a short number of episodes, so there's no telling what surprises they have in store this season.  Most of all, I'm just ready to hear some classic lines from Lafayette.  I've always been able to rely on him to bring the comedy amidst all the killing and weird shit going on, so I hope that he won't let me down this season either.

One Night Stand Disaster

 New Girl, S01E13

This episode was the Valentine's Day episode.  This was the last Valentine's story that I watched, and I can't say that it was my favorite.  I was still a little hyped up from the last episode about the landlord, which made me more expectant than I should have been.  Their Valentine's story was a little different from some of the typical ones you see, but I didn't laugh a lot.  I think the developments that occurred were pretty significant toward the overall dynamics of the show, though.

Jess and Schmidt are the only singles in the apartment, so Jess convinces him to help her go out and find someone to randomly hook up with.  I was worried about Jess using Schmidt as her guide, but luckily Cece volunteers her help as well.  I like that Jess calls her horny side "twirly."  That's as cutesy as calling your vagina a vajayjay.  She struggles to leave emotions out of the equation; Cece says that she gets attached to a single show on the side of the road.  However, after failing a sexy cherry-eating move, a hot potential guy comes her way.  I was happily surprised to see that this guy was Ryan Kwanten from True Blood!  This is the guy I kept calling the Manwhore of the show.  I was a little bored before he showed up, but I really wanted to see Jess hook up with him.

While Jess is getting her "twirl" on at the bar, you can definitely see that chemistry that Cece and Schmidt have.  Seeing them talk and fake flirt with each other brought up the question again whether they would finally get together.  It didn't seem so when Kyle showed up for Cece's surprise that ended up being shrooms.  I wouldn't be too stuck up to dump a guy that did drugs like that, but if that was supposed to be our activity for Valentine's, he would have to go.  Schmidt is no saint, but you can plainly see that he is much less of a scumbag than Kyle is.

Schmidt has to drive Jess to Oliver's place (how did he get there in the first place?), but he stays to watch the movie.  I thought that would be the most awkward part of her hookup.  Just when they started to make out, in comes Oliver's ex, Amy, who still lives with him.  She's not the only unwanted guest who arrives.  We also get Cece, who had come to pick Schmidt up, a high Kyle, and Schmidt again (who returned after "street youths" had taken his tires).  It looked like it was hopeless for her and Oliver to get it on.  Luckily, Schmidt hauls off Cece before she beat the hell out of Amy, and Jess sends Kyle out the door by distracting him with something shiny.  That should be the end of all of her distractions, right?


Nope.  The forces above were certainly not wanting her to go through with it.  Uh...  I admire Jess for committing to her one-night-stand, but I don't think anyone beyond a huge slut could get into the mood while the ex is watching you and eating tacos loudly.  Eventually, Jess realizes this is a mistake and goes home.  Damn.  We didn't even get to see Oliver with his shirt off!  Not that we don't get to see enough of that and more on HBO.

When Jess comes home and sees Schmidt, you can tell that something is up with him.  Since we know that the last person he was with was Cece, you can't help but think that they're doing it!  Jess doesn't pick up on this obvious fact and thinks about what Schmidt says about hooking up with someone you know being better.  Instead her light bulb goes off in her head to sleep with Schmidt!  Oh, God!  It's not as gross as I would have thought because I can see that Schmidt is a sweeter guy than his sexual comments might suggest.  She is saved by Nick coming home and making her drop her giant box of condoms.  There's no way for her to play off what she was about to do with 50 condoms scattered on the floor.  I just wonder what Schmidt would think if he ever found out.  We then see that Cece and Schmidt did indeed sleep together.  Hmm.  I hope Kyle is out of the picture, but I think that Cece won't so easily date Schmidt.  After all, Jess might think less of her.

The Nick and Julia story was only interesting in that it showed that Julia is a work-obsessed control freak.  Nick, who is the most negative guy in the world, finally wants to do a real Valentine's with her, but she just can't get off work.  Nick convinces her intern Cliff to quit, but isn't completely appreciative of Nick trying to do some of the work Cliff left behind.  Also, she kept screaming at this lady on the phone most of the time.  She's a good match for someone like Nick, but she may be even less caring than he is about most things.  I think this episode encouraged me to root for their speedy breakup.

Winston...  Again, I don't really give a damn about him trying to mend things with his ex-fling.  It was merely a sidestory to distract you a moment from Jess and Oliver.  I kinda wish that Winston would go on a trip and be gone from the next season, if possible.

This was a mildly funny episode that made me glad there will be no more Valentine's episodes for me to watch.  Can't wait to see what happens next with Cece and Schmidt!