TV Review: How I Met Your Mother - "Tick Tick Tick..."

Season 7 - Episode 10

CBS (US)

This episode was plodding along quite nicely until the last two minutes. The last two minutes were absolutely devastating on the same level as when Marshall's dad died. It was impossible not to feel for Barney.

Barney and Robin woke up in bed following the events of last week and both feel absolutely terrible about it. To make matters worse, they both end up on a boat party with their respective partners. Deciding that their feelings for each other are too strong to hide they both decide to break up with their partners when they get off the boat and meet at McLarens at midnight. While Barney breaks up with an incredibly understanding, yet heartbroken Nora, Kevin tells Robin that he loves her. She enters McLarens with Kevin, to the utter devastation of Barney who immediately leaves the bar. As Ted goes upstairs he sees Barney blowing out candles and picking up rose petals from Robin's room, on the verge of tears. Ted leaves Barney to it, pretending he hadn't seen. It's a hammer blow of a scene that gave this episode an extra star on its own.

The ridiculous B-plot sees Ted, Marshall and Lily attend a hippy jam concert. The guys get stoned and find themselves wandering around the arena for hours looking for nachos. Except Lily appears and tells them they had been away for only a couple of minutes. It's a stupid plot, but gets some laughs - especially the scene where CCTV footage shows what they had actually been up to.

"Tick Tick Tick..." was a perfectly acceptable episode up until the last few minutes, which absolutely knocked it out of the park. Here's hoping that Barney's rejection turns him back into the womanizing hero we all know and love. Until Robin realises what she's missing at least.

****

TV Review: 2 Broke Girls - "And the Really Petty Cash"

Season 1 - Episode 9

CBS (US)

2 Broke Girls, as I say pretty much every week, has been consistently funny since the start of its run. Now 9 episodes in, it really is finding its feet. This week sees the payoff to the Johnny story like I predicted last week, and sees Max at her genuine strongest - rather than the faux strongness we usually see from her.

"And the Really Petty Cash" sees Max and Caroline finally land a cupcake job, at an art show hosted by Johnny's beautiful English girlfriend Cash (now one thing that annoyed me was that Cash was supposedly school friends with Adele. How that makes her cool is beyond me, and it would also make Cash around 23 years old. Pull the other one, I don't actually know what age Kelly Beckett is, but I'm assuming a fair bit older than 23! I appreciate that they wanted to make her friends with a "cool" British person, but at least pick one of a suitable age, and you know, not shite). Cash seems nice to begin with, but it soon becomes apparent that she knows about Max and Johnny kissing - which was delivered with a deliciously catty line that was the episode's best.

The premise of the A-plot was absolutely fine. In fact it was really the only plot in the episode. Max and Caroline getting progressively drunker at the art show was funny, as was the set piece of them shoving cupcakes down their tops, and the episode served a good purpose for character development. A good, solid episode, which should set up the rest of the season nicely.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Two and a Half Men - "Thank You For the Intercourse"

Season 9 - Episode 8

Comedy Central (UK)

Alan takes a mental breakdown and believes that he's Charlie. I'm not sure there's much else to say about this episode of Two and a Half Men, other than despite how that first sentence may sound, this is the best episode of the show in around 2 years.

After witnessing Walden hook up with a hot one night stand, Alan takes things badly, and starts talking to Charlie in heaven (quite why he thinks Charlie would be in heaven, other than for a plot device, is beyond me) and suddenly starts to talk and act exactly like his dead brother, even going as far as calling himself Charlie to his newly found ladyfriend (the utterly captivating Taylor Cole, nice to se eher back on TV after being the best thing about the abomination that was The Event last year). Things spiral out of control when he starts wearing bowling shirsts and shorts, and in interactions with Walden, it becomes obvious that he actually believes he is Charlie. Walden then checks him into a mental institution, and the episode closes with Alan exclaiming that he is "winning". A thinly veiled dig at Charlie Sheen, but very funny!

"Thank You For the Intercourse" takes Two and a Half Men in a bit of a new direction, and it realy works well. Knowing that the show could now go a number of ways is intriguing, I just hope they don't screw up a good opportunity out of pettiness.

*** 1/2

TV Review: American Dad - "The Worst Stan"

Season 7 - Episode 4

Fox (US)

Once again, Principal Lewis is a main character in this episode. Once again, Hayley and Klaus do virtually nothing. While it's still funny, the joke will wear thin soon, Lewis isn't developed enough to be a continual focus, and I really want to see Klaus more. That said, "The Worst Stan" is a good enough episode, but not a classic.

Stan realises that now all of his friends are married, he'll never get the chance to be a best man. That is, until he realises Principal Lewis is still single, and sets about setting up a marriage for him with the school superintendant (voiced by an unexpected Anjelica Huston). Along the way, Lewis' "prison wife"/bitch Tracey shows up and threatens to throw a spanner in the works. The whole A-plot revolves around this story, and while it's funny, there are parts that don't work - especially in my eyes, the overuse of Diff'rent Strokes referential jokes - but it does do enough to keep up at least some interest.

Elsewhere, Roger finds a magical pair of shorts (this is American Dad remember, being seated in reality has never been a priority) and finds himself in a relationship with Ricky Martin (rather brilliantly taking the piss out of himself by voicing himself) down in Miami. It's utterly ridiculous, but some of the visual gags are magnificent. Roger's B-plots are frequently becoming the highlight of this very good show.

Overall "The Worst Stan" is a good, funny episode, but one that could have been better. Good, not great.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Family Guy - "Road to the Pilot"

Season 10 - Episode 5

Fox (US)

The "Road to..." episodes are often some of the best that Family Guy put out. "Road to the Pilot" is no exception to this, and is the best episode of Family Guy not spoofing Star Wars in some considerable time.

The premise is as flimsy as they usually are, Brian wants to find a tennis he buried years ago, so he and Stewie step into the time machine and go back to January 31st 1999 - the date that the pilot episode "Death Has a Shadow" first aired on Fox. From here, they manage to change history several times, including stopping 9/11 and causing a nuclear war. There's a brilliant set piece at the end when hundreds of Brian and Stewies all arrive at the same time, from different points in alternate futures, all to stop another pair from doing something. It's a brilliantly silly bit, and was a great way to pay off the episode.

During the episode there are some brilliant moments - explaining what they all do during the cutaways was a personal favourite - and the flashbacks to the pilot (including making fun of ow the animation looked back then) were brilliantly handled throughout. "Back to the Pilot" is Family Guy at its absolute best, I just hope that there's more episodes of this quality in the bag.

**** 1/2

TV Review: Whitney - "Getting to Know You"

Season 1 - Episode 7

NBC (US)

The more Alex is used in Whitney, the better the show is. When Whitney is with Alex, her character also becomes better. "Getting to Know You" sees Whitney deciding she needs make an effort to get involved in Alex's hobbies in order to get closer to him. The results aren't hilarious, but are fairly amusing.

While on a double date with Roxanne, Whitney realises that Alex had a host of hobbies before they were together that he has since given up. Wanting to get more involved, she decides to play raquetball with him, and fails miserably at it. After an offhand comment from Alex suggests that she is not athletic, Whitney challenges him to a game of basketball, which is utter chaos, and really pretty funny. It's a good showing from Whitney and Alex this week, which is just as well, given the mess that is the B-plot.

And I'm not even going to talk about said B-plot. It involves Lily trying to embrace Neal's Indian heritage, only for him to tell her not to bother. It's not big, it's not clever, it's not funny.

And that's the real problem with Whitney so far in its run. Not enough of it is funny. While there are some good laughs in every episode, there's also large stretches that just aren't. There's a new timeslot coming for the show in midseason (one that really should have gone to Community, but let's not digress), and hopefully that leads to the writers tightening things up. There's a good show in here, waiting to come out, it just needs more consistency.

***

TV Review: The League - "Yobagoya!" / "Carmenjello"

Season 3 - Episode 6/7

FX (US)

The League put out two episodes this week, seemingly for no real reason. Not one to complain, I happily watched both, enjoyed both, and now can't wait for Jeff Goldbum's guest appearence next week.

"Yobagoya" and "Carmenjello" were both funny, silly episodes, the type that The League has grown nicely into over the last year. In the former, Jenny passes the flu onto Ruxin just as he's about to work on the biggest case of his career, Taco tries to write a jingle for a terrible fast food company, and Pete gets into a feud with a traffic cop. It sounds daft, and most of it is, but it's damn funny at the same time. Ray Liotta turns up as Ruxin's boss - an inspired turn which I hope can become a semi recurring role - we get an anime inspired music video from Taco, and there's actually some football talk. Pete trying to give Taco lineup advice using charades was a highlight of the two episodes.

The latter episode sees Kevin and Jenny getting blueballed while Ellie's room is being redecorated, Ruxin being accused of favouring one of Sophia's breasts over the other, and Andre offending a janitor after donating money to (unwittingly) fund his old high school's Absitinence Club. Meanwhile, Taco buys a shedload of stamps, as they'll always increase in value, then inexplicably using them as currency.

The episode eventually sees Kevin offending the same janitor by taking a picture of his back to get the right paint colour for Ellie's room ("It’s nothing to do with racism! It’s the color of your skin" was an utterly fantastic line), a topless picture of Sophia waxed into the school's floor, and Jenny's stamp covered panties (don't ask) being used by Taco to buy paint. It's a delightfully silly episode, and it's becoming The League's forte.

These two episodes aren't the best of the season, or the show's run, but are stellar, enjoyable slices of television. As I mentioned, Jeff Goldblum is set to show up next week (as Ruxin's father, which could be amazing) for the Thanksgiving episode. Everything seems to be going the right way.

Yobagoya!: *** 1/2

Carmenjello: ****

TV Review: Raising Hope - "Jimmy and the Kid"

Season 2 - Episode 6

Fox (US)

"Jimmy and the Kid" is a strange episode of Raising Hope. The a-story is sweet, in an almost creepy way, and has some funny moments, but the rest of the episode fell a bit flat in a way that doesn't usually happen.

Barney's ex-wife's son begins helping out at the grocery store and instantly takes a shine to Sabrina. Jimmy decides to set him up with a girl more his own age in order to stop him from telling Sabrina his secret - that, of course he is deeply in love with her. This leads to Jimmy getting into some highly funny and inappropriate situations. The ending of the episode was also really sweet, and gave us hope for the Jimmy/Sabrina relationship going forward.

Elsewhere though, there wasn't much to note. Burt and Virginia were relegated to fighting over who had to fish threw MawMaw's poo to retrieve a swallowed gold tooth, and there was a little side with Barney and his ex-wife, but that was all.

Raising Hope is usually better than this, with only the a-story having any substance. But I'll put it down to a blip and look forward to next week.

***

TV Review: The Big Bang Theory - "The Ornithophobia Diffusion"

Season 5 - Episode 9

CBS (US)

Sheldon overcomes a fear of birds, Leonard and Penny see if they can handle hanging out as just friends and Raj and Howard have very little to do in another stellar episode of The Big Bang Theory that furthers the ensemble nature that the show has graduated into.

A blue jay is sitting on Leonard and Sheldon's window ledge, much to Sheldon's chagrin. After several failed attempts to chase the bird away, it ends up in the apartment, terrifying Sheldon to no end. He calls Amy and Bernadette round to help him deal with it (because they're biologists - they must have some knowldge of birds!) It turns out the bird is really tame, and Sheldon takes a shine to it. Naturally, it then flies out the window, leaving Sheldon devastated (until the tag reveals that it had laid an egg in the apartment).

Elsewhere, in what is technically the A-plot of the episode, Leonard and Penny decide to go to the movies, the first time hanging out just the two of them since their breakup. Leonard decides to take charge of the situation, now that he no longer has to do what Penny wants in order to guarantee himself sex. It's a fairly tedious plot that ends with the two slinging insults at each other in a bar, but ultimately rekindling thier friendship. I can't help thinking that this would have made a better B-plot than being the main focus, but I'm not a TV writer, so what do I know?

"The Ornithophobia Diffusion" is a decent episode of The Big Bang Theory, but given what they've produced so far this season, they can do better. Next week looks like another Amy centric episode though, and I never have any complaints about that!

*** 1/2

TV Review: South Park - "A History Channel Thanksgiving"

Season 15 - Episode 13

Comedy Central (US)

Now, South Park has always had its up and downs. If "Broadway Bro Down" was the brilliant high point of the season, "A History Channel Thanksgiving" surely has to be as bad as it gets. The episode seemed devoid of jokes, was full of overly obvious setups, and was basically just a little flat throughout.

The premise, that The History Channel puts out documentaries that are essentially just lies and propaganda, felt a little forced (I never watch The History Channel, so I don't know how seated in reality that is) and the big reveal that the original Pilgrims were actually aliens (in an elaborate parody of Thor - which was only funny due to the frankly bizarre use of Natalie Portman) was the type of ridiculousness that South Park can usually get away with, but just didn't work in this episode.

South Park have put out some great episodes this season, so I can forgive them one stinker like this. The next episode is the season finale (which seems to have come around really quickly) and I just hope it's a return to form.

**

Live Review: Iced Earth / White Wizzard

O2 Acedemy, Birmingham

Saturday November 5th 2011

An epic seven hour bus ride to Birmingham may seem like overkill, but for a night of heavy metal of this quality, it doesn't seem so much at all. Quite simply put, Iced Earth put on one of the best shows that you're likely to see all year. Absolutely brilliant.

Manchester thrashers Fury UK were opening the bill, but due to needing food and managing to find the venue where the Acedemy used to be before the current venue, we missed them. Their merch table was doing really well though, so I'll need to remember to check them out when the chance presents itself.

So the first band we saw were the quite excellent Los Angeles natives White Wizzard. Not knowing what to expect from the band having heard nothing from them beforehand, I was absolutely blown away. Their traditional heavy metal, with heavy riffs, howling vocals and simply excellent songs went down a treat with the ever expanding crowd. The brilliant "Starchild" was a particular highlight, but the whole set was highly enjoyable. A band worth looking out for.

The last time I saw Iced Earth was supporting Heaven and Hell at the SECC in November 2007. At that time, Tim Owens was the singer and they played for just around half an hour. Since then Owens has left to be replaced by Matt Barlow, who was then retired to be replaced by Stu Block. So, with Block on vocals, this incarnation of Iced Earth appeared onstage (Jon Schaffer moustache and all) to a rapturous response and didn't disappoint.

Opening with the title track of their new album "Dystopia", the band never let up for the duration of their 100 minute set. Block is possibly the best vocalist the band have had in their 27 year career, being able to hit all the notes of his predecessors and add something of his own to the mix as well. Playing through a set of new and old songs, with the majority of the crowd belting out every word of every one.

The set highlight was "Dante's Inferno" the 16 minute epic that has been absent from the band's live sets since the late 90s. Hearing it live was something special, and one of those live moments I'll never forget.

This was a quite frankly fantastic live show from a band who consistently bring quality to the table. The excellent support act just added to the experience. This was well worth the travelling.

*****

TV Review: Community - "Studies in Modern Movement"

Season 3 - Episode 7

CBS (US)

"Studies in Modern Movement" is a fantastic episode of Community, bringing together all that's good about the show. It's moving day, as Annie prepares to move in with Troy and Abed.

And of course things don't go to plan. When she arrives, she finds that her "room" is nothing more than a blanket fort. While she's understandably annoyed by this, a shadow puppet play from Troy and Abed brings her onside. Until she finds that there is actually a spare room, which is lying empty (save for some gridwork on the walls, ceiling and floor) dubbed the "Dreamatorium". A room where Troy and Abed go to conduct their silly little games. Annie storms out, but when she returns later to pick up her stuff (I assume to move back to her old shitty apartment that Pierce had just wrecked - more on that in a bit), Troy and Abed have turned their room into Annie's room, and moved into the blanket fort themselves. It's the type of touching moment Comminity does so well, and it's handled immaculately.

Jeff is nowehere to be seen during the moving, he's at the mall, but has told the gang he's sick (a great scene shows his deception, roping a sales girl into the lie) where he's cornered by Dean Pelton. The Dean blackmails Jeff into spending the day with him, which includes having lunch together, and the absolute highlight of the episode - the two of them singing Seal's "Kiss From A Rose" in a cheesy "make-your-own video" booth. This scene intercuts with the stories involving Pierce and Britta and Shirley brilliantly, but it's the chemistry between Winger and Pelton that makes it. And when he shows up at the apartment later, only to be ribbed mercilessly (Dean Pelton had tweeted the video) it was a great full circle moment. (An aside here, the tag scene, where Jeff gets overly emotional at a Troy and Abed puppet show, is brilliant).

Elsewhere, Pierce almost manages to kill himself by accident once again, as he spills toxic paint in an unventilated room following a series of calamities in Annie's old apartment, and Britta and Shirley pick up an insane hitchiker - named Jesus - and find themselves becoming closer as a result.

"Studies in Modern Movement" is a fantastic episode of a fantastic show, which is still one of the best on TV at the minute.

(After I wrote this piece, it was announced by NBC that Community would be getting taken off the air in midseason to accommodate the return of 30 Rock. While I'm delighted that 30 Rock is coming back, the lack of certainty over Community's future is highly worrying. NBC have said it will only be off air for a short time, but we'll need to see. Let's hope they find a new home for it, as it would be a real pity to see this magnificent show end prematurely without a proper resolution.)

**** 1/2

TV Review: Fresh Meat - "The Wrath of Brian"

Season 1 - Episode 7

Channel 4 (UK)

This university comedy drama has been absolutely brilliant in its run so far, and I was delighted to hear this week that it's been renewed for a second season of 8 episodes next year. This episode dealt with quite a lot over its forty minutes, and was a great set up for the forthcoming season finale.

Josie's fiance, Dave has moved into the house, and everybody (bar Kingsley) is happy about the arrangement, as he fixes all of the broken equipment around the house. An encounter in the pub however, spills the beans that Josie had slept with Kingsley. Vod phones in a panic to warn him, and he and J.P. (who Josie also had a go on) find themselves locked in the bathroom. The shit hits the fan, Dave dumps Josie and leaves. Where she goes from here is anyone's guess. Out on the pull with Vod is my guess, given that Vod has told Oregon they're no longer friends.

Oregon, it turns out asked Professor Shales to bump Vod's grade up to stem the prospect of her bing put on academic probation. Professor Shales' wife then thinks that Vod is the one having the affair with her husband. Oregon then admits the truth, has a bizarrely friendly night out with Mrs Professor Shales, and admits to Vod that she helped with her grade. Vod flips, tells everyone about Oregon's secret life and ends their friendship (which I hope comes back, because it's a great friendship). To make matters worse, Professor Shales then pops up at the door having left his wife. Interesting development.

Elsewhere, J.P. is a busy boy, seeing a consellor after his father's death, getting his exam postponed only to find out he would need to take it after Christmas instead, then bribing Dan the geology man to give him the questions on the exam. Which are then promptly changed - whether Dan did this deliberately is anyone's guess. All this as well as being locked in a bathroom overnight with Kingsley. A busy boy indeed.

And Howard finds himself the victim of a psychotic revenge campaign from Brian (who was inadvertantly the instigator of the whole Dave/Josie/Kingsley showdown nonetheless). The campaign ends with Brian forging a letter to Howard that caused him to rush out of his geology exam.

As a penultimate episode, this really did have everything. The season has been consistently excellent, and the finale has been set up perfectly. Fantastic stuff.

**** 1/2

TV Review: New Girl - "Cece Crashes"

Season 1 - Episode 5

Fox (US)

New Girl takes on a slightly new dynamic this week, as Jess' friend Cece, who has made only fleeting appearances so far, becomes part of the main group for the week and causes chaos in the gang.

After discovering that her boyfrind has been cheating on her, Cece requires somewhere to stay for a few days. Jess offers her the couch in the apartment, and immediately comes to regret the decision. Firstly, Cece tells Jess that Nick likes her as more than a friend, which causes Jess to begin to act even weirder and kookier than usual. Jumping out of a car at a set of traffic lights and saying she never uses toilet paper being just two of her idiosynchrices. At the end of the episode, Jess realises he and Nick are just friends and the balance is restored. For now.

Elsewhere, Winston and Schmidt compete over Cece. After seeing how much Schmidt is into her (even giving up his bed so she could sleep), and how badly he's failing, Winston gives Schmidt the free run. He of course fails miserably, but after managing to get a horrible sunburn, Cece allows him to sleep in bed next to her, and even holds his hand. Schmidt is delighted, and even phones a bemused Winston to tell him - a really funny moment.

New Girl continues to be be consistently funny and warm. Jess is a wonderful character, and the rest of the cast are really working well too.

****

TV Review: Two and a Half Men - "Those Fancy Japanese Toilets"

Season 9 - Episode 7

Comedy Central (UK)

This installment of Two and a Half Men finally brought Evelyn and Jake back to the forefront, and benefitted greatly from doing so. It also referenced Charlie heavily, another strong point - even withstanding the ridiculously childish jab at Charlie Sheen the writers took.

Evelyn brings Alan a journal that Charlie had kept hidden for many years. As Alan reads the journal, he finds out all about the way his brother thought, including things that he would rather have kept to himself, including that he loved Alan deeply. It's also mentioned that he had listed a situation very closely resembling the way he died as a possible cause of his potential death. Funny.

Elsewhere, Jake has gotten himself a tutor, primarily so he has an excuse to hang out with her. Unfortunately for Jake, the tutor, Megan, only has eyes for Walden. Walden, though, has no interest in her at all, and is more concerned about redecorating the house. Hiring Evelyn to do his interior design, he is warned by Alan that she is the mother of all cougars. While Walden protests that he has no intention of sleeping with Evelyn, that's exactly what happens, much to his own disgust, and her delight. And blown off by Walden, Megan sleeps with Jake, which results in him warmly embracing Walden.

The reintroduction of the characters that we all know and love, but have been seriously lacking in screentime this season was more than welcome, and really lifted the episode above what we've previously seen this season. It's still not brilliant, but it's still pretty funny!

***

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother: "Disaster Averted"

Season 7 - Episode 9

CBS (US)

It's a good old fashioned HIMYM flashback episode! Often the strongest episodes that the show produces, this is no different, being the best of season 7 so far.

The flashbacks hark to Hurricane Irene a few months previously. Ted has prepared a survival kit and plans to take the gang to his house in suburbs to wait out the storm. Ending up in Barney's apartment, a whole host of hijinks occur leaving everyone fighting among themselves. The end up is that Marshall and Lily conceive their baby in Barney's bathroom, before Marshall boogie boards through the windows of McLarens. A solid flashback story from the comedy show that does them best.

In the present, Barney wants rid of the Ducky Tie before he meets Nora's parents, and tries to cajole Marshall into using the last slap of the slap bet. Marshall allows Barney to remove the Ducky Tie in return for three slaps being added to the slap bet. Marshall quickly uses two of these, leaving two to go (is there another "Slapsgiving" forthcoming?). The episode ends with Barney and Robin kissing. The end of Nora and the start of the run to Barney's wedding?

The episode is funny and moving in equal measures. It fails to explain why Barney was wearing the Ducky Tie in a flashforward to the night Lily gives birth, but I assume that is still to come. If "Disaster Averted" is a sign of things to come this season, we could be in for a treat.

**** 1/2

TV Review: 2 Broke Girls - "And the Hoarder Culture"

Season 1 - Episode 8

CBS (US)

Caroline needs a second job. Max loves hoarders, it's like TV to her. Caroline cleans a hoarder's apartmetn for extra money and Max tags along. It's a stupid, stupid premise, but it gives some good laughs.

"And the Hoarder Culture" is the first episode of the season, though that feels a bit like filler, or set-up. Johnny, it turns out does have feelings for Max, but also has a girlfriend. While he is conflicted, Max shows strength by effectively showing him the door. It's a real moment of growth for Max, but that's about all of note that happens throughout the episode. Oleg and Earl have some good lines, Hahn is brilliant, and Kat Dennings gets the chance to wear a dress that shows off her assets beautifully. But the rest is just sort of there. It's funny, but not overly substantial.

Knowing the premise for the next episode does give me the idea that this was pretty much a set-up episode. I hope so, because although I laughed at "And the Hoarder Culture" it didn't feel important in the grand scheme of the show.

***

TV Review: Family Guy - "Stewie Goes For A Drive"

Season 10 - Episode 4

Fox (US)

Family Guy is about as hit and miss a comedy show as you're likely to see. Of the two plots here, one is hit and one is miss.

Peter is stuck in a ridiculous plot where Ryan Reynolds (voiced by himself) falls in love with him. Peter loves hanging out with a Hollywood movie star - even though it's about the fifth time it's actually happened to him - until he realises Reynolds' intentions are romantic. Reynolds insists that he's not gay and just attracted to Peter's spirit. It's a stupid plot with very few laughs, typical of much of what they do with Peter. Running out of ideas it seems.

Elsewhere, Stewie thinks he has driven Brian's car after he accidentally moves it forward slightly. Later, he decides to go for a drive, crashing the car when he tries to win tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. When Brian finds out ad threatens to tell Lois about it, Stewie runs away, only to be found by Consuela. A riduculous, but funny showdown kicks off when Brian comes to pick up Stewie, and I'm left wondering why the rest of the episode couldn't have been that good.

Overall, it's an episode of Family Guy that is completely all over the place, which seems to sum the show up a little too well.

***

TV Review: American Dad - "A Ward Show"

Season 7 - Episode 3

Fox (US)

American Dad was hit with an extra week of hiatus following the baseball break, and was always going to struggle to follow up the first two episodes of the season - "Hot Water", featuring Cee Loo Green as an evil hot tub, and the excellent "Hurricane!" "A Ward Show", however was a pretty good episode of animated comedy.

For the second time in three episodes, Principal Lewis is heavily featured, this time having formed an unlikely friendship with Steve, who is given the run of the school in return for sorting out Lewis' horrendus finances. This friendship is tested by the decision to let Roger act as Steve's legal guardian so Stan and Francine can bugger off on holiday to a water park for a week.

While Steve and Principal Lewis embark on a ludicrous "Fear and Loathing" style adventure, with Roger on their tail, Stan and Francine realise that a whole week at a water park is most definitely overkill. When all of their attempts to get refunds or sell their tickets on fail, they come to the conclusion to have sex on the biggest slide in the park. Everyone ends up in (for some reason the same) hospital. Funny stuff throughout.

The best part of American Dad is its total irreverence. The writing is consistently funny, and the show thrives when at its most ridiculous. "A Ward Show" highlights the Steve/Roger relationship, which is frequently the funniest part of the show's dynamic, let's Stan and Francine be silly and gives a minor character a chance to shine. The lack of Hayley and limited use of Klaus are unfortunate, but you can't cram everyone into every episode. Another strong showing.

*** 1/2

TV Review: The Simpsons - "Replaceable You"

Season 23 - Episode 4

Fox (US)

The Simpsons isn't the show it used to be. There can be no doubting that. While in seasons 3-9 almost every episode was amazing with a few being pretty average, it's pretty much the opposite now. Every now and then a great episode will present itself. "Replaceable You" isn' one of them.

Jane Lynch is the guest star of the week, playing Homer's new assistant, Roz. Now, I love Jane Lynch, she is a fantastic actress, but everyone just sees her as Sue Sylvester these days, and it's pretty much a version of Sue who just happens to work in the power plant that shows up here, rather than the type of character Lynch is capable of playing. The payoff, with Flanders knowing her one weakness as well, is pretty trite. Not a great a-plot by any stretch of the imagination.

The b-plot to be honest has a lot to be desired too. Bart teams up with Martin Prince to make a cute robotic pet for the science fair. Soon after (although not before beating Lisa, who moans like fuck - because that's all she ever does) all the seniors in the retirement home want one. But flick a switch, and they turn evil. Surely a genius like Martin wouldn't have put such an obvious flaw in. The fix for this is ridiculous - although Homer's nerd friends making an appearance was nice - and they're making a mockery of what Professor Frink once was.

It's easy to have a go at The Simpsons just because these days. "Replacebale You" though isn't actually as bad as I may have suggested. It's just not very good either.

** 1/2

TV Review: Bored to Death - "We Could Sing A Duet" / "I Keep Taking Baths Like Lady Mcbeth"

Season 3 - Episode 4/5

HBO (US)

While these two episodes share a common theme, and do follow each other up nicely, the reason they're being reviewed together is because I fell behind a little bit! But hey, it's worked out fairly well, as "We Could Sing..." and "I Keep Taking Baths..." complement each other pretty well.

Jonathan is asked by George to take his daughter, Emily out for a platonic, youthful night on the town to show her what she's missing out on by marrying the much older Bernard. ("I'm good at platonic. It's my default sexual setting. After nervous." is a genius line) Along the way, he finds out a private detective is using his name, and he and Emily tag along on his case, with pretty disaterous results which end the episode with George no longer talking to Jonathan. This leads to the two going to "frienship counselling" - chaired by the brilliant Sarah Silverman, playing a bizarre therapist with a foot fetish. While this doesn't work, the two are friends again by the end of "I Keep Taking Baths...", as will be explained.

While all this is going on, Ray gets into a fight with Leah and embarks on an affair with the returning Belinda, an alluring pensioner (played by the legend who is Olympia Dukakis). Ray finds himself becoming more alluring to Leah as a result, and spends the episodes pondering over what to do about it.

While he helps Jonathan win back George by bringing down his arch nemesis Richard's new restaurant. Through a series of ridiculous happenstances, which involve Patton Oswalt's Howard making a welcome appearance, George getting hig with and sleeping with his singing teacher, and a trolley chase through a supermarket also involving Louis Greene, George gets what he wants, and he and Jonathan become friends again. It's busy, it's ridiculous. It's brilliant.

It boggles the mind that Bored to Death gets ratings as low as it does. It is one of the best shows currently on television. Both of these episodes are great, and while neither quite managed to be as good as "The Black Clock of Time", and let's face it, very few things will be, they were entertaining, funny and genuinely touching. HBO really know how to make a great show.

We Could Sing A Duet: ****

I Keep Taking Baths Like Lady Macbeth: **** 1/2

Live Review: Rise Against / The Nightwatchman

O2 Academy, Glasgow

Friday November 4th 2011

The Academy was absolutely packed out with a fairly mixed crowd of old and young punks alike this Friday night. And while the music was good, both Rise Against and (especially) Tom Morello The Nightwatchman brought just a bit too much political angst to the table to truly make the night enjoyable.

Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine was the main support act for the evening in the guise of The Nightwatchman, his folk punk side project. (Opening band Polar Bear Club were on too early for us to see). And while the music he plays is unquestionably good, folk punk mixed with alternative rock, with Morello showing an unexpected aptitude for singing. However, Morello's political views are pushed far too much to the forefront. Pledging his support to the current "Occupy" movement was particularly crass given those involved in the Glasgow protest had been implicated in the rape of a young woman earlier in the week. The cheer that the statement got from the crowd showed a huge amount of ignorance and fawning in my opinion. That said, the tunes were good, especially the sing-a-long "World Wide Rebel Songs". If people want to see a political protest, a Nightwatchman show would be a good place. He should just tone it down when in a support slot.

The main event was Chicago punks Rise Against, who ahve racked up quite a following in Scotland over the last few years, as evidenced by the large crowd in attendance. Musically, live the band are fantastic. Unfortunately, frontman Tim McIlrath's voice is not as strong live as on record, not that it really detracts from the whole experience. The stripped down, acoustic portion of the set was a particular highlight on the night, and seemed to go down well.

I can't help feel that I'd have enjoyed the night a whole lot more if I was more familiar with Rise Against's work. They're a band I've always liked, but never really listened to a great deal. Tom Morello let the side down a bit with his between song ranting, but overall, a pretty good night out.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Glee - "Pot o' Gold"

Season 3 - Episode 4

Sky 1 (UK)

The first season of Glee was a refreshing take on the tried and tested American high school show. The songs were good, the characters were good and it had a good underlying story. Season two was an utter mess, with some good episodes thrown in the mix, but being pretty bad in general. Season three started so promisingly with "The Purple Piano Project", but the two follow up episodes failed to capitalise on the strong premiere. Could the show return from the baseball break with better momentum?

In a word, no. This was quite frankly awful. They introduced an Irish character who said "top o' the morning" and dressed exclusively in green. To make matters worse, they made him sing a Kermit the Frog song. No jokes. There's a second Glee club at the school now, with neitehr of them having enough members to compete (I know this because it was a MAJOR plot point in season one). Quinn now wants her baby back, and tries to sabotage Shelby, the baby's adoptive mum, Rachel's biological mum and oh yeah, now a teacher at McKinley. Kurt's dad, Burt decides to run against Sue for Congress (the scene where Burt and Mr Schue, now inexplicably best friends, win back the school musical with the help of some local funeral directors was about the only highlight of the episode mind you) despite having a dodgy heart. And then the episode closes with Puck and Shelby making out. That is Puck, the accidental father of Quinn/Shelby's baby, making out with Shelby, the adopted mother of his child. And oh yeah, A FUCKING TEACHER.

Honestly, this was just dreadful. In amongst needlessly shoehorning as many songs as possible into episodes, characters change personality from episode to episode as it suits them, and plots are feverously rushed. Glee could have been great. Instead it's fallen into a rut that it really needs to get out of. Bad episodes (such as the shocking "Rocky Horror" tribute) can be excused if they're infrequent. Not if they're every week.

* 1/2

TV Review: The Middle - "Heck's Best Thing"

Season 3 - Episode 8

Sky 1 (UK)

"Heck's Best Thing" is a slightly disappointing episode of The Middle, as only one of the two plots has any real sparkle. But that said, even on a disappointing night, this is a very enjoyable show.

The one plot that did sparkle was Axl's. With a college football recruiter keen on giving him a scholarship, Mike and Frankie are naturally worried that Axl will make a mess of the interview. However, when the recruiter arrives, Axl becomes the exact opposite of his usual self. He is elequant, polite and seems genrally interested. Frankie soon realises that Axl is like this with everyone, as his teachers, friends' parents and such all comment on how polite he is. Mike and Frankie come to the conclusion that they all bring out the worst in each other. Oh well!

Elsewhere, Sue and Brick accidentally steal a phone from their elderly aunt and fight over who should get to use it. It's a plot that goes nowhere, but does, I suppose add to the whole thread about them all bringing out the worst in each other.

"Heck's Best Thing" is a bit sloppy, but has enough about it to enjoy watching it. And all shows are allowed a dodgy week.

***

TV Review: Beavis and Butt-head: "Daughter's Hand" / "Tech Support"

Season 8 - Episode 3/4

MTV (US)

Not many shows will return after fourteen years off air and be as good as they were before. Beavis and Butt-head hasn't only returned, it's returned every bit as funny as it was in the 90s.

As before, the episodes air in 2 short segments, interspersed with music videos/MTV shows with the boys' usually derogatory commentary. WHat I loved most about this return was the fact that the format has not changed in the slightest. The characters have not changed at all, fourteen years later, they are identical. Brilliant.

The plots are simple and stupid. Firstly, in "Daughter's Hand" the boys watch an old movie and misunderstand what asking for a man's daughter's hand means. They attempt to ask their neighbour for his daughter's hand, which he thinks is sweet at first. Until he realises what they actually mean. This ends with the neighbour and Tom Anderson having a fight in the front garden. Meanwhile, the boys rip the ever loving piss out of "16 and Pregnant" and "True Life".

And in "Tech Support" the boys get jobs in a call centre doing technical support. Predictably they act like idiots, and eventually cause a city wide powercut. They also have a discussion about Katy Perry's "Firework" video, which they hate, but gives them a special feeling.

I expected very little from the return of Beavis and Butt-head, and got so much more than I had ever expected. Watching these episodes has transported me back to the mid 90s. In the best way possible.

Daughter's Hand: ****

Tech Support: ****

TV Review: Modern Family - "Treehouse"

Season 3 - Episode 7

ABC (US)

"Treehouse" was the Modern Family guest star special! Three big name guest stars showed up and made excellent appearances, and there was some very funny storyies going on all over the place.

I say all over the place, as their were four separate plots running through the episode. And that was with Manny barely featuring, and Alex being nowhere to be seen whatsoever. That said tehre were three very funny plots, and a decent side one involving Claire and Haley. The plot where the episode takes its name from involved Phil attempting (and failing) to build a treehouse for Luke. This saw Phil managing to use his catchphrase "Need to fix that", a few times, and eventually question exactly how he has ended up at this stage in his life with virtually no friends. This is closed out by him meeting a new friend in his neighbour Andre (guest star, Kevin Hart, not a huge name like the other 3, but still a good guest star). It's a sweet storyline for Phil, who continues to be the best character on this excellent show.

Elsewhere, Cam makes a bet with Mitchell that he can get a woman's phone number. After chatting to Katie (played by Leslie Mann), and hitting it off with her, therefore winning the bet, Cam becomes upset that he led her on. They arrange to meet where it's revealed that Katie always knew Cam was gay, and she just wanted to a cool gay friend. In order for Cam to still win the bet, she kisses him passionately in front of Mitchell, giving a hilarious send off to the plot.

The best plot of the episode though, was Jay and Gloria's, pairing them with Jay's returning friend Shorty (the absolutely brilliant Chazz Palminteri) and his new grlfriend Darlene (the ageless Jennifer Tilly). Shorty and Darlene persuade Gloria to go salsa dancing with them, something that Jay is highly uncomfortable with. After a chat with Mitchell, who gives him a pill to loosen up (in reality an orange flavoured children's aspirin) Jay goes to the dancing and ends up opening up and having a great time. All on his own.

The theme of this episode was definitely all about acceptance, and was a really strong showing. The lack of continuity and serialisation between episodes is something that might need to be addressed in the future, but for now, as an episodic show, it's working just fine.

****

TV Review: The Office - "Doomsday"

Season 8 - Episode 6

NBC (US)

It's taken a while, but the post Michael Scott era of The Office finally seems to have found its feet. And its no surprise that Dwight is the one who gets the ball rolling! A special mention, however has to go to Stanley, for his opinion on Semisonic's "Closing Time". You'll need to see the episode to understand that, as there's no way my words can do it justice.

The episode essentially focuses on Robert California's insistance that productivity must increase and mistakes must decrease (a fair request to be completely honest). This leads Dwight to install a computer program that will send horrific reports and emails directly to California should the office make five mistakes in a day. The device would effectively see everyone sacked, and is termed a doomsday device by Jim and everyone else. Naturally, the workers manage to make five mistakes by lunchtime, and the damning report will be sent automatically at 5pm unless Dwight cancels it.

Dwight then promptly buggers off home to dig a horse grave, while the rest of the office think of ways to prevent California from receiving the message. This results in Jim playing squash (badly) with California; Pam, Erin, Oscar and Kevin heading to Schrute Farms to try and talk Dwight into cancelling the system, and the entire office attempting to hack Dwight's PC. At the end up, Dwight has an uncharacteristic change of heart, which is however explained by an excellent Dwight talking head.

In a strange little b-plot, Darryl and Gabe compete for the affection of a new warehouse worker, Val. And that's abot it.

This is by far the best episode of The Office's eighth season so far, possibly the first time this season that it's actually felt like The Office. A vast improvement which I really hope continues.

****

TV Review: Whitney - "Two Broke Up Guys"

Season 1 - Episode 6

NBC (US)

Note to Ms. Cummings. Alluding to the other - funnier - first year comedy that you're involved in this year is probably the cleverest thing you've done this season. Even if it's only in the title. "Two Broke Up Guys" is Whitney's strongest episode so far. Whether that's a sign that show is going to improve in the long run, or just due to the fact that Alex and Mark - the two best characters - have been pushed to the forefront here.

Mark becomes jealous of the time Alex is spending with Whitney, complaining that they no longer hang out enough, and that he's changed since moving in with Whitney. It's a dilemma that most of us have gone through with one friend or another - let's face it, real life is never going to be like Friends - but instead of the usual light ribbing, Mark decides to "break up" with Alex.

As Mark campaigns the rest of their friends to side with him (offering such things as a real "get out of jail free" card) Whitney decides to be Alex's new "bro". When this inevitably ends in a disaster for all involved, the two come back together as friends, and the status quo is restored!

"Two Broke Up Guys" sees the best writing and best characterisation of the season so far. I'm not sure it can get much better than this, given what we've already seen, but if it can even stay at this level, it's going to be a much easier watch than it has been.

***

TV Review: The League - "Bobbum Man"

Season 3 - Episode 5

FX (US)

When The League started airing two years ago, it was a nice little sitcom about a group of friends who played fantasy football together. Since then, it's gotten increasingly ridiculous. "Bobbum Man" was the point that it got fucked up. And it was awesome.

The Bobbum Man - a character created in college by Pete with seemingly the sole purpose of creeping out Kevin is mentioned early on. From then on, Kevin is on edge. The other story running through the episode is the latest venture from Taco, an offline social network called MyFace. MyFace is genius. The "wall" is a large cardboard sheet, with photos and post-it notes attached. It literally needs to be seen to be believed and enjoyed. Taco manages to cause all sorts of mischief with MyFace, but it's when you see Raffi is one of his MyFace friends, you know something is about to kick off.

Indeed the ending to the episode is one of the funniest scenes the show has ever done. Knowing now that Raffi has assumed the Bobbum character, and is slightly less than stable, Kevin and Pete find themselves in a dark alleyway staring down "Bobbum". Who of course turns out to be Andre trying to sneak back into a yoga class Ruxin had gotten him kicked out of. The begin to beat up the man they believe to be Bobbum, only for RAffi to sprint in and join them. Andre is left a beaten mess in the alley, and Raffi forms a plan to kill him and flee the country. I really hope Raffi gets made a regular next year, he is absolutely ace.

While the plots are getting slightly more outlandish, The League is losing none of the things that made it so good in the first place. "Bobbum Man" is a very funny episode indeed.

****

TV Review: The Big Bang Theory - "The Isolation Permutation"

Season 5 - Episode 8

CBS (US)

The Big Bang Theory was great it's first two years. It sagged in the third and early part of the fourth, but as soon as Amy Farrah Fowler becamea regular character, the show picked right back up again. This is the first real Amy central episode, and it's every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

The premise of the episode is Amy becoming upset at Penny and Bernadette when they go wedding dress shopping without her. Amy, taken back to basically every other time of her life when she thought she had friends is utterly heartbroken. Sheldon, finding himself unable to contact her, turns up at her apartment and is forced to spend a night cuddling - much to his horror. Penny and Bernadette manage to make things worse when they attempt to apologise, causing Amy to get drunk outside a liquor store. In the end, Bernadette asks Amy to be maid of honour, and everything works out, but it's how they get there that makes the episode. The guys aren't really given much to do this week - bar Sheldon, and Leonard tagging along, but it's really nice to see the girls getting a chance to shine, especially Mayim Bialik, who is quite simply fantastic as Amy.

"The Isolation Permuatation" is an episode of The Big Bang Theory that makes you want to watch more. Always a good thing.

****

TV Review: Community - "Advanced Gay"

Season 3 - Episode 6

NBC (US)

When Community is good, it's really good. You only have to look at episodes such as this season's "Remidial Chaos Theory" to see that's the case. Even when Community has off nights, it's still pretty decent, last week's Halloween episode being a prime example. "Advanced Gay" lies somehwere in the middle, being neither a classic or an off night, sitting there nicely as a funny and at times heartwarming episode of television.

The main focus of the episode, for the first time this run is Pierce. His company's wipes have become huge in the gay community thanks to a music video from a fabulous drag queen (who Chang ends up going home with in a hugely funny aside). While initially horrified, Pierce relents once he realises show much money there is to be made and markets a new, gayer brand of Hawthorne Wipes. His hyper bigoted father (complete with ridiculous ivory toupee) shows up, and puts a spanner in the works, before Jeff accidentally gives him a heart attack and we end up at a funeral. It's a bizarre plot, with really funny bits and really moving bits, and Chevy Chase really came across as a star.

Elsewhere, Jerry Minor turns up as the Greendale janitor, and we get to see (welcomely) Troy's mad plumbing skills for the first time in ages! This is before he's kidnapped by John Goodman and the Air Conditioning Repair School Annexe. Given the choice between air conditioning repair or plumbing - both of which he has a gift for - he decides to watch TV with Abed instead. This was a remarkably silly plot, which was hilarious. And with John Goodman confirmed for at least 3 more episodes, it looks like it may continue.

Overall "Advanced Gay" was a really good episode of TV, just not a really good episode of Community. Which shows just how far this show has come in just over two years.

****

TV Review: Raising Hope - "Killer Hope"

Season 2- Episode 5

Fox (US)

After a cracking start to its second season where we found out that Jimmy was a child prodigy, Sabrina comes from a rich family, and saw the gang head to Vegas, Raising Hope was another victim of the MLB Playoff hiatus. They returned this week with "Killer Hope" which thankfully carried on with the good run of episodes.

After being informed that Hope has struck out at a kid in her daycare, Jimmy and his parents become worried that she may have inherited the serial killer gene from her now executed mother. Realising that their unconventional family life, full of arguments and scrapes may be contributing to the newly found aggresion in Hope, the family decide to stop arguing in front of her. Naturally for the Chances, this is made difficult by the fact that their house is being fumigated and they're being forced to live in the garden. Of course, it starts raining, and they spend the night in the back of a portable storage unit. The payoff, with Jimmy going crazy at a cop and ending up on the same chain gang as Hope's other grandfather to hear some startling truths puts us back at the status quo, and sets us up nicely for next week.

Raising Hope has been funny since the get go, and into its second season has kept up the consistancy. This episode is a great example of what the show can do, giving all of the main characters some good moments - especially Maw Maw (I also love her credit "and introducing Cloris Leachman"). With a cast and characters this good, it's hard to see where they can go wrong.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Up All Night - "Parents"

Season 1 - Episode 7

NBC (US)

Being in it's debut season, Up All Night could have struggled to refind its momentum after NBC took their shows off air for a week. Thankfully, the fantastic characters that have been created by the writers and portrayed so brilliantly by Will Arnett, Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph have enough about them to make this a very enjoyable episode, even with a slightly lacklustre plot.

In this episode, Reagan's psychiatrist parents arrive for a visit to coincide with her mother's book launch party at UCLA. After realising that she has always had a bad relationship with her mother, Reagan vows to improve things to set a good example to Amy. While it looks like this is going to be a disaster, their relationship seems to be repaired when Angie (a brilliant guest appearance from Blyth Danner - the ultiamte TV mum!) proves to be a great grandmother - despite what her book may have suggested.

Elsewhere, Ava feels the wrath of her crew when her soundman dies and she can't remember a thing about him. Her efforts to make amends were hilarious, and actually quite touching at the end up. And Chris bonds with Reagan's father over their fear of death.

Up All Night has had a fantastic debut season so far, with the characters really being the shinging points. This episode has proved that the characters drive this show, as although the writing for them was great, the plot was pretty thin. That said, the episode was highly enjoyable thanks to the character interaction,a nd if they can keep that quality up, as well as tightening up the plots, Up All Night has a big future.

*** 1/2

Live Review: Tinie Tempah

SECC, Glasgow

Wednesday November 2nd 2011

Support acts were irrelevant on this night. I have no idea what J Cole even sounds like, and the SECC had that irritating yet understandable no drinks in the hall policy, so I sat at the bar. The gig was a freebie after all, and I was only really interested in the current king of British hip-hop, Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, aka Tinie Tempah.

As the lights went down the mostly teenage crowd (with a few old bastards like myself sprinkled in) went absolutely mental, and by the time Tinie arrived onstage by popping up through the floor Rey Mysterio style, the place had gone cataclysmic! Opening up with "Simply Unstoppable" with some sort of crazy backpack on, he had the crowd eating out of his hands from the very start. Playing a mixture of his tracks from debut album "Disc-Overy" and his collaborations with other artists, it's obvious how talented Tinie actually is. By the time he had reached the midpoint in his set with "Written in the Stars", although there was a tape of the chorus playing, it need not have been there, as the sold out crowd handled the vocals admirably.

The middle part of the set saw the band stripped down and playing acoustically, "Love Suicide" from the US version of his album, and allowing the band to take the lead on a cover of Ed Sheeran's "The A Team". A nice touch for a hip-hop gig that went down well with this one at the very least.

After that, the hits kept coming, and "Miami 2 Ibiza" just about tore the roof off the building. Tinie closed with the song that made him, the excellent "Pass Out", and sent the crowd home in raptures.

From this gig, it's clear to see just how good an artist Tinie Tempah is. Bridging genres effortlessly, and making a mockery of those who want to hem him in. There's a reason why Tinie Tempah is as popular as he is. And it's because he's absolutely brilliant.

****

TV Review: New Girl - "Naked"

Season 1 - Episode 4

Fox (US)

Zooey Deschanel's New Girl had a stellar first three episodes before being put on hiatus for the Major League Baseball playoffs. Returning this week, the show has lost none of it's charm.

Much like Up All Night, another new comedy this season, New Girl's strongest point is its highly likeable characters. Zooey Deschanel is Jess, a newly single teacher who is utterly adorable. While the promos make it look like she was quirky for the sake of being quirky, there is actually a really well developed character there. Her three flatmates Nick, Schmidt and Winston are also very likeable characters in their own ways.

This week's episode sees Jess accidentally seeing Nick naked, which shatters his confidence when dating his co-worker Amanda (played by the fantastic Lake Bell). The plot is a little silly and thin, but leads to some fantastic set pieces, not least when Jess finds herself naked in Nick's room while he has brought Amanda back having regained his confidence. Schmidt and Winston are relegated to background characters, but their b-plot featuring a plethora of pop culture references was pretty funny.

New Girl has been much, much funnier than I thought it was going to be, being a very charming and highly amusing series. Zooey Deschanel is a fantastic sitcom lead, seemingly having found her forte, and with the rest of the cast also being good, this could be a series that runs for a while.

****

TV Review: South Park - "Broadway Bro Down" / "1%"

Season 15 - Episode 11 / 12

Comedy Central (US)

When South Park went on its customary mid-season hiatus in June with the superlative "You're Getting Old", it was questionable whether the show would come back the same - with some even wondering if it would come back at all. Three pretty decent episodes followed on the show's October return, but nothing could have prepared us for this. "Broadway Bro Down" is fucking brilliant, and easily in the top five episodes that this veteran show has produced. Think back to the classic episodes Trey Parker and Matt Stone have turned out since 1997 and you'll realise just how good I feel this episode was.

It's a Randy episode, as many of the best episodes are, which focuses on Broadway musicals. After hearing from a colleague about the amazing blowjob he got after taking his wife to see "Wicked" in Denver (the parody songs from the South Park Version of "Wicked" by the way, were remarkable) Randy decides to take Sharon to the show. At the show, he finds out that all Broadway writers insert "subtext" into their songs in order for the women in the audience to want to perform oral sex on their men. It's a ridiculously silly concept that leads to Randy and Sharon going to New York for a holiday to see as many shows as possible and Randy writing his own musical - where he completely misunderstands the concept of subtext!

Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Elton John are sent up beautifully as football and hockey loving jocks, and there's a remarkable reference to the cataclysmic failure that was the Spider-Man musical. Simply put, "Broadway Bro Down" is one of the finest half hours of television that's aired this year.

The follow up episode, "1%" was always going to struggle in comparison, but managed to be a bloody good episode in its own right. Cartman has single-handedly managed to bring the entire school's Presidential Fitness Test average to the worst in the country, and the rest of the kids are less than happy about it. This brings around a frankly ridiculous "class war" - which turns out to be between the fourth grade and fifth grade classes - and a disturbing plot where Cartman's stuffed animals are being "murdered" one by one, completely showing the unhinged nature of everyone's favourite obese little kid - he completely lost the plot here, absolutely brillaintly.

"1%" cannot compare to "Broadway Bro Down" - and indeed only appears in the same review as I was running late on the episodes, but is agreat stand alone episode in it's own right. The season looks as if it's picked up again, and god knows what they're going to send up next.

Broadway Bro Down: *****

1%: ****