Lucy Don't Play Raj Like That

Big Bang Theory, S06E17

 Raj's coffee date with the girl he met at the Valentine's party bailed on him while pretending to go to the bathroom.  Raj locked himself in his apartment, drowing in his own sorrow, and refused to leave until Howard brought him the girl's number that she had handed him.  Sheldon took Amy's advice to compliment Penny on her acting advice for his flag show and reluctantly tried to obey social rules by going to see her play.

I tried to keep an open mind about the girl (I guess her name is Lucy?) that ran out on Raj.  She did come to a party for lonely people at a comic book store--there was no way that she was expecting some kind of perfect guy to be there.  I started to lose hope that her reason for leaving Raj wasn't purely on her own part and not Raj's when he spent much longer holed up at home than I would have liked.  By the time Raj called her and got an explantation from Lucy, I was more than peeved that it took her so long.  I mean, if Raj had any kind of dignity, he would have already written her off.  Lucky for her that Raj is just as messed up as she is, so she still had a chance.  Still, I don't like that she made Raj feel so bad for so long.  She better be worth all the trouble.

The reason I'm not so quick to love Lucy is that we got to see how miserable Raj was due to her actions.  He was sitting around in a soiled shirt with his hair all messy, looking as sad as can be.  Then he improved upon that pathetic look by enjoying lobster in nothing more than  a bib and his underwear.  I sort of understand how Howard felt like Raj had ruined eating lobster for him.  That's not an attractive look for eating, nor is it a sight you want to be seen running down a public street (I'd pretend to not know Raj in that case).

Lucy and Raj do seem to have the potential for a perfect match because their inability to interact with people brings them such discomfort that they become dysfunctional.  Raj becomes mute in front of women he doesn't know, and Lucy apparently runs off into the night when she's just had too much human contact for the day.  Hopefully their flaws won't cancel each other out, though.  This is about as close as Raj has gotten to a real girlfriend in a long time.

I've sort of forgotten that Penny does acting at all because she seemed like she had given it up and admitted that she hasn't had much luck finding parts, but comparing her acting to Sheldon's on his show made Penny not seem like the worst actress around.  I thought the way that Sheldon executed her advice was hilarious.  He even looked like he was going to make the moves on Penny with the way he was sitting next to her, all "relaxed" and such.  I sort of wonder how his viewers thought about all of his over the top body language.  Well, the real imporatant thing was that Sheldon valued her input, instead of acting like the expert on all things in the world.  Even a praise that Amy initiated in him was still  pleasing to hear from Sheldon's mouth.

I probably would have felt the same way as Sheldon did when Penny invited him to her play, but it was still pretty rude that he shot her down like that when she was trying to engage him in friendly gesture.  It's hard for Sheldon to understand doing things for other people that's not based on obligation or personal gain.  I don't think we will see the day when he will understand all these "confusing" rules.  I did like that these concepts frustrated him.  Just for that, it was worth Amy telling him what to do and Penny ordering him to come to her play in the end.  I didn't expect Sheldon to more than show up and complain, though.

The most surprising part was that Penny was really good in her play.  For even Sheldon to admit that she was good at what she was doing really showed that.  I guess all those acting classes she has been taking have paid off.  She might have a real shot at something real in the future.  Hopefully that was the point of bringing up Penny's acting in the first place.  If this was just part of teaching Sheldon about praising his friends and accepting invitations after being helped, then they could have done it another way.  Now I'm expecting to see more about Penny's acting since she wowed everyone.

I liked this episode, even though it sort of tricked you into thinking that it was another typical "Raj is a loser" type of story.  I've seen quite enough of those, and I'm ready for Lucy to start something significant with Raj.  They seem to have some similarities, so if that's not enough for Raj to get a girlfriend, I don't know what kind of hope he has.  Maybe Sheldon has hope of one day knowing the next socially acceptable move when dealing with a friend without Amy or someone else having to tell him.  He's definitely learning, but it's obvious that he's got a low tolerance for all of the "rules" that he has to abide by.  Penny was surprising good in her role on the stage, making me wonder if we'll address her acting career again.  I haven't been thinking about it previously , but seeing her perform so well, there's no way I can't be a little curious as to where her talent might take her.

Somehow Better As A Play

American Dad, S08E10

The show was presented as if it were a play.  Francine threw Stan a birthday party, not realizing the dark family secrets the celebration would bring up.  Hayley was keeping a secret from Avery who slept with the family maid, Edna, in his heartbroken state.

This isn't the first time I've seen a cartoon do something like this, but every time I have seen it, I remember enjoying it.  This episode was no different.  I liked all the touches they added to make it feel like you were in the audience watching a play, such as the lighting and someone coughing being shushed.  I really liked how they did the lighting for when Stan's car was coming and going from the house, in particular.  Another thing I enjoyed a lot was them substituting glitter or confetti for the splashing water and for the blood.  It was also cute to see them use the pool, which was just made out of cardboard or something.  It was little things like that that made me like this story even more.

The stories were pretty dramatic, but I did find a few things to laugh about.  One of such was when Stan was brought home for driving recklessly by a police officer:

He was eating crab and driving.  He'd be spending the night in the cooler if there was anything illegal about what he was doing.

That was my favorite line.  I just liked that he got pulled over in the first place while he was sobbing and stuffing his face with crab legs.  Somehow it seemed like he was going to be arrested for something that silly.

I also found the end to the Hayley story to be unexpectedly funny.  I mean, it was terrible that Edna had suffocated a baby right when Avery and Hayley had gotten back together, but their reaction to the baby's death was so over the top with anguish.  The lighting went red, they were screaming, and they ripped out their hair and clothes.  It was definitely one of those times I didn't want to laugh, but I just couldn't help myself.  They were doing a great job of bad acting.

There was one other thing that wasn't quite funny, but mentionable.  When Francine tried to keep the party going with their guests, she had someone start a record of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit."  Her songs are not anything you want to play at a party unless it's a drinking-out-of-sadness sort of affair.  I just liked the irony of that moment.

Oh, and it was so weird to me that I happened to fall asleep a little before Stan went outside to find his father and son swimming in the pool.  When I woke up again, Patrick Stewart was pretending to be asleep himself and the episode was pretty much over.  The timing of that was hilarious to me, although it was just because I randomly dozed off.  Patrick Stewart was sort of amusing as the host of this play.  Even when he was making cheesy puns of "Act Two" with a sneezing sound.

I really liked this episode, even though the stories were pretty sad overall.  I liked how Stan was misinformed about his broken family and in the end he started one of his own by ending his life.  Despite the dark nature of the story, I enjoyed that it came full circle.  The story about Avery, Hayley, and Edna was equally tragic in nature, but the little time we spent on them allowed me to find a little humor in the grandness of the emotional conclusion.  I couldn't say anything that bothered me in this episode.  Wish they would do more like this one!

Just Stop Writing, Brian

Family Guy, S11E10

Brian finally had success with his writing when his play become popular in town, but after seeing the incredible play that Stewie had written, Brian was devastated and tried to sabotage Stewie's play by saying it was terrible.  Stewie figured out what he was doing and later got his show on Broadway, to Brian's dismay.

This was another depressing story about how Brian is never going to get anywhere with his writing.  I thought something was up when Brian was having people excited about his play--the few bits that we got to see were like the worst sitcom ever.  Plus, as Stewie had pointed out, Peter was really engaged in the whole thing.  If that wasn't a red flag that he was writing crap than nothing else is.  Still, I could have been content to see Brian enjoying the thrills of being semi-famous in town if one, he wasn't always an ass about his "genius," and two, he didn't decide to listen to Jasper and try to crush Stewie's aspirations.  I hate that I feel both bad for Brian and hate him for his selfish actions and cocky attitude.  Why can't Brian be either humble or not be jealous of someone else?  I'd settle for him just being one of those things.  I wish he didn't have to constantly be so insecure and desperate to be great (or even good).

One thing that was obvious in this story was how Stewie is absolutely Brian's friend and biggest supporter, even though Brian's deceitful and untalented.  Stewie did bring him to a party where people made fun of him and he sort of threw his own possible success on Broadway in Brian's face, but in the end he threw away his chance to be a big playwright to please his friend.  Brian does not deserve Stewie, as crazy as that baby is.  That's what makes it a little less touching because I'm still angry at Brian for trying to ruin Stewie when Stewie would sabotage his own play for Brian.  When has Brian ever sacrificed himself like that for Stewie?  It's times like this that I love Stewie and wish that prehistoric bird that got them would just swallow Brian and end his miserable life.

I wish there were more jokes to offset Brian moping and crying about how brilliant Stewie would be and how mediocre he was and will always be.  My favorite cutaway was when Chris was stuck in the seats and he met another guy in the same boat:

[Guy stuck in chair] She's not coming back, you know.
[Chris] How do you know that?
[Guy stuck in chair] Cuz she's my mom too.

More than be funny, this was just sort of shocking.  But I can totally see Lois doing that because while she seems to love her kids, she also has this side where she would abandon them if they were too troublesome for her tastes.  I mean, she once told Meg to stop crying or go ahead and kill herself.  She's not always the best mother around.

A little more shocking and unnerving moment was when Brian snapped the neck of the squirrel that he was yelling at.  But from the beginning I had a feeling that Brian was going to do something bad to that squirrel, so I wasn't taken aback that much.

There weren't any jokes that I loved, but some of them were okay.  One of such was when Peter went crazy from tasting real butter, but thinking it was I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  I don't know why it would encourage him to kill three kids, but it was almost funny enough to make me laugh.  Another was when Peter was trying to figure out Stuart Little and he commented that he felt "old and in the way."  I've had a moment in life where someone was having a revelation about a movie where there was none to be had (because it wasn't complicated or trying to create mystery). So I suppose that's why I liked that scene.

I think I'm about done with these sort of stories with Brian hating himself and Stewie barely being able to keep him afloat from drowning in his own self-pity.  Brian's not ever going to get anywhere with his writing, so it'd be nice if maybe he tried to do something else with his short life.  Or at least if we have to see another pathetic chapter in Brian's short-lived fame there should be adequate jokes to distract us.  If I wanted drama without comedy relief, I'd go watch something like Mad Men.

There'll Be No Baby Tomorrow

The Cleveland Show, S04E05

Donna wanted to have another baby with Cleveland once Rallo had grown up, but Cleveland's vasectomy made it impossible.  Donna and Cleveland battled each other to expose the other concerning the fake pregnancy that they both were aware of.   Rallo became the star of the play Annie, but his diva-like actions got it shut down before it was even performed.

Wow, I think it has been a while since there was a story where Cleveland and Donna were trying to best the other with a lie or a scheme.  Or maybe not, but I feel like it has because I hate this setup.  Mainly because you know that both of them already know the other is full of crap, but they keep playing out the charade anyway.  I mean, it was a little funny that they were both so stubborn that they would actually go to the hospital and get the doctor to birth a cushion, but it was mostly frustrating as hell.

The best line from that story came from Dr. Fist, who finally spoke up after going along with their fight for some reason:

If I may interject…you’re both terrible people who should not have any children.  In fact, I am not even comfortable sending that cushion home with you.

His comment was almost worth them acting like idiots for the majority of the episode.

The side story where Rallo got to be Annie was kinda cute.  I liked how he adapted Junior's shirt into something that looked like Annie's dress.  It was also cute when he was crying at his window after regretting the show getting cancelled due to his ureasonable and costly demands.  A little later when Roberta was offering a way to have Rallo be a star after all, there was a pretty funny moment:

[Roberta, bring Junior and Rallo close] We’ll do our own knockoff version!
[Rallo] Ack, ugh!  Girl don’t know how to whisper.
[Roberta] I am whispering!

There's something very funny to be about people who don't understand how to whisper.  I guess because it makes them look a little crazy and stupid at the same time.

This was an okay episode.  I really wish the side story about Rallo could have been longer.  I would have liked to see him be more of a diva than was shown.  Didn't care too much for the lie fest between Donna and Cleveland--it stopped being funny a few seconds after they started.  It's a little weird to say, but I feel like for the sake of this show's comedy, Cleveland and Donna shouldn't do much together.  It usually ends up being a pretty boring (or annoying) story.