Didn't Make Too Much Of An Impression

Family Guy, S11E03

Quagmire was revealed to have a toupee and was convinced by his friends to discard it since it was public knowledge.  However, Peter and the gang got sick of his annoying new attitude as a bald man and suggested he get a hair transplant.  While at the hospital for the procedure, Brian discovered that Carter was diagnosed to have cancer.  When the Griffin family went o visit him to check on his conditon and found him completely healthy, Brian and Stewie went to investigate his company to make sure that Carter was the real Carter.

This story wasn't exactly bad, but I can't think of much that was really worth mentioning, even to complain about.   One of the few things that I slightly liked was when Peter was telling Quagmire about how he hated him now that he was bald and acting crazy.  His honesty, as usual, is so blunt that it ends up being funny, although it wasn't hilarious.  I also sorta liked when Stewie was waiting for Lois to get off the phone and she kept extending her conversation with Bonnie.  I just have a lot of instances with talking to my bestie where we keep saying goodbye, but then think of something else and want to talk about it real quick.  I guess it's not something that guys typically do.

There wasn't anything outrageous or disgusting in this episode, but I was a little disturbed by Stewie talking about his nipples being big from the cold and him pulling on them.  I could have lived without seeing that.  It's probably the most memorable part of the episode, unfortunately, because I didn't see that coming at all.

I did predict that Carter would have a cure for cancer on hand and that in the end he wouldn't make good on his promise to Lois.  He's not a sweet guy and cares more about money than his family.  So no surprise there.  It just sucks that they ended the episode with Lois and Peter sort of forgiving him because he was on a magazine cover.  Wish it could have been a better joke.

I don't think this will be an episode I'll remember.  I'll probably watch it again one day and only then recall that it existed in the first place.  It's sad that I can only keep in mind the really horrible ones or the really good ones.  Ones like this one are pretty much out of sight, out of mind.

We Missed You, Betty! (Sarcastic tone)

Mad Men, S05E03

Betty had a close encounter with her own death and struggled with her body issues.  Don and Craine tried to get the Rolling Stones to do a song for an ad, but they got nowhere with that.  Peggy had to hire a new copywriter for Mohawk and realized quickly that the new guy might be more trouble for her than she thought.

Craine was nearly adorable in the way he kept trying to hang out with Don, but Don had no interest to spend time with him beyond what was necessary for their business.  I wonder if Craine is trying to avoid his family or if he really wants to be friends with Don.  It's a little weird and suspicious because last time he was trying to avoid Don, less he take off his head for making fun of his wife (I don't think Don has a clue and he might not care with his "new" attitude).

I don't care much for Michael (I find the kind of characters Ben Feldman plays to be chatty and irritating), but the more Peggy denied that he would be competition for her, the more I started to enjoy his presence.  Sure he seems like someone who might be up Don's ass at first (until Don teaches him that flattery will get you nowhere), but he also seems like someone with potential to outshine Peggy.  I loved when she anticipated the first meeting between Don and Michael with anxiety, but he did about a 180 from when she interviewed him and was quite normal.  Michael was pumped with how well the meeting went, while Peggy was disturbed that he could listen to her advice so well.  So you told him to tone it down for the boss, and then you're irritated that he followed your instructions so well?  Yeah, Peggy's definitely on the defensive now that Michael's in the picture.  I can't wait to see how they will butt heads.

Now let's get down to Betty's return.  Well, I haven't been following any of the Mad Men buzz, so I was totally unprepared to see Betty wider than I could have ever imagined.  She looked significantly different, which made me more outraged that people were talking about Joan while Betty looks as she does.  Insane.  As much as I think Betty is too into her own world to really care about others anymore, I didn't want to see her die from cancer.  Having lost a mother myself to cancer, I can't imagine how a mother would feel to know that they might be holding their children for the last time and wouldn't be there to see them as adults.  And I liked that her cancer scare revealed Betty was human (I've started to see her as someone who only complains and freaks out about things).  She even went to Don for comfort, which reminds me that he may have been a a sleaze when they were married, but he always genuinely cared for her.

I was relieved to know that Betty wouldn't be going through harsh cancer treatments and put her kids through all of that.  However, I can't believe how quickly she went from being self-aware of her role in her family and in the world to whining that she was just fat, not sick.  Betty!  You got a fucking pass for cancer--show a little gratitude for your life!  Henry is a trooper to not slap her in the face for her going on about how big she was and how he couldn't see it because his mother was also a big woman.  Really??   Couldn't you have saved that for at least one day after you found out you didn't have cancer??  Just when I thought I could welcome Betty back into my good graces, I'm ready to throw in the towel with her.  And she didn't even call Don (after calling him in the first place to tell him she might have cancer) to tell him the good news.  Henry, who took his call, didn't seem to appreciate that Don even knew.  Why not?  If the mother of his children were to die, he should be up to speed about that as soon as possible.

I am interested to see how Betty continues to deal with her weight problem in that day and age.  Her mother-in-law seemed to think that throwing back a few pills would slim her down (I wonder how frowned upon diet pills were back then), but Betty wolfing down her own sundae plus Sally's suggests that she's not going to go to any extreme lengths to drop the pounds. I'm glad that Betty has this angle attached to her character because I haven't been looking forward to seeing what she could bitch about this season.  At least in this aspect, she presents something I'd like to know about from a historical point of view.

As usual, this show has it all.  I can't complain much about the plot, only on how the characters behave.  I wonder if Don will be able to "keep up" with his young wife, or will he just give up and admit his old age and stiff personality?  Michael best give Peggy a hard time, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll turn into something like the Roger and Pete dynamic (as Roger bitterly remarked, Pete was the last guy he hired).  Oh, and we need Joan back ASAP!  Less Betty time and more Joan, please.

A Cancer Scare Bonds Them All In Song

New Girl, S01E15

I never thought I would like a story this much that dealt with a character possibly dying.  I feel like they had a great balance between their usual funny tempo without completely ignoring the seriousness of Nick's almost cancer.  Underneath the characters' clumsy and amusing pre-mourning antics, we got to some deeper issues about the characters, such as Nick's refusal to actually live.  Jess pointed out that his life is a bit wasted if he doesn't try to do some of things he wants in life.

I knew the gang was tight and all, but last night I really learned how much they cared about their own.  I wasn't surprised that Jess leaped at the chance to help Nick against his will since she has a tendency to be "helpful" regardless of what others tell her.  However, I didn't know Winston and Schmidt would go into emotional overdrive as well.  This was best expressed by the "Sad Song" Winston started singing and playing on the piano.  He was joined by Schmidt's rapping and later Cece added some beats as well (I think she was the best, but Schmidt was the funniest).

Thanks to Jess getting "real" Nick is convinced he needs to jump into the ocean before he dies.  Before that happens, I love when Nick adamantly tells Jess that she is not speaking at his funeral because of her horrible Daniel Boone joke and her obsession with trying to cheer everyone up.  

There were so many great moments and lines in this episode that it's hard for me to chose which to mention.  At the top by far is when Schmidt plants a lovely "Fredo Kiss" onto Nick.  I just didn't know how much he loved Nick.  Yet I don't feel like Schmidt kissing him is out of place in the least bit.  It was almost a moment of "finally," which is strange.  Did I feel like Schmidt would be doing this one day?

Schmidt also brought a joke from another episode to full circle when Winston suggested that Nick's naked jump in the ocean might be Schmidt's only opportunity to see his penis.  Schmidt runs off in no time after hearing that.  It's no question whether Schmidt likes girls, but if he did have to romantically love a man, I think he would go for Nick in a heartbeat.

I loved it when everyone was on the beach, after Nick had calmed down from his freakout about the cold and the impending death.  He looked at Jess and told her he liked her a lot!  Aww!  And that he is glad that Jess is around.  I was anxiously awaiting a drunken kiss, but Nick seemed aware of himself enough not to do anything stupid like that.  However, I feel like they were a little more chummy after that moment, and we can only hope to see it grow before they are dating!  Yay, Nick and Jess!

Other great moment in this episode included when Jess started a chain reaction of crying among Nick's friends, Nick asking why no one was helping him after his back went out from Jess' tackle, and Winston's raggedy-ass car.  I have to elaborate more on how ridiculous it was that he was driving it through a Schmidt line:  

You shouldn't call 'em keys.  It's a paperclip that you start the car with.

Before the episode ends, we get one more kiss between Nick and Schmidt after the good news of no cancer, and Winston is forced to leave his car behind (literally) and think about a new one.  It was sweet that everyone joined together to pay for his ultrasound and good that the growth on his thyroid wasn't anything life threatening.  Even though they managed to be hilarious through this episode, I couldn't imagine they could continue to be as funny if Nick's days were numbered.

I don't have any complaints about this episode at all.  It was good in showing how significant the relationship between Nick, Schmidt, Winston, and Jess is.  As much as I love a good comedy, I like a good show about friendships.  There are few things I enjoy more than watching friends who, as crazy and mismatched as they may be, really come together when shit hits the fan.