TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 31/01/12

American Dad - "Stanny Tendergrass" (S07 E09) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Would it be wrong to say that Hulk Hogan saved this episode? No. It would not be wrong to say it. Hulk Hogan saved this episode. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the episode as a whole. The premise was sound, Stan works summers at the country club while he saves up for a membership (the CIA is quiet during the summer!). Roger (in a persona that Stan can't see through - apparently everyone in the family has one) is already a member, and tortures Stan. When Stan eventually gets in, he becomes a snob, and Hulk Hogan - complete with "Real American" blaring - comes to sort him out. A good episode made even betetr by the Hulkster.
****

The Simpsons - "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" (S23 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Huh. Jeremy Irons voicing Moe's bar rag could have been a great idea. The execution however, is pretty bad. The rag tells his story, vaguely like Forrest Gump, appearing at various points in history. Sadly, The Simpsons' laziest plot device comes into play, as the chaacters are dropped into historical situations. The B-Plot sucks, and only Irons' performance stops this from being as bad as the last two shown.
**

Family Guy - "Livin' on a Prayer" (S10 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
When Family Guy cover religion, it can go either way. This one veered towards the poor, but wasn't atrcious. Lois finds out Stewie's new friend has cancer, but due to his parents being Christain Scientists, they don't believe in hospital treatment. Lois ends up kidnapping the child to take him to hospital, sparking a major manhunt. It wasn't great, although Peter randomly dressing as Harry Potter was funny. There's not much in the way of a B-Plot, but there were some decent cutaways for a change. It just feels like Family Guy is going backwards.
** 1/2

House of Lies - "Mini-Mogul" (S01 E04) Showtime (US) 29th Junuary 2012 
This show is great. We're four episodes in and it's going from strength to strength. This episode saw some excellent character development - Jeannie possibly excepted, but we did see Kirstin Bell writhing around in her underwear, so swings and roundabouts - and saw the first real starring turn from young Donis Leonard Jr as Roscoe. The consultancy of the week was rather unimportant compared to the relationships that were being explored. Only Jeannie's engagement story, which seems to have come out of nowhere, fell a little flat, but the aforementioned lingirie scene did a lot to make up for that! Excellent once again.
****

TV Review: What I Watched This Weekend - 29/01/2012

The Big Bang Theory - "The Beta Test Initiation" (S05 E14) CBS (US) 26th January 2012
While Leonard and Penny resume dating, and decide to take it slowly, while initiating a computer style beta test of their relationship. As an A-Plot, it actually works surprisingly well, as Leonard once again screws things up. Naturally he fixes the problems by the end of the episode, and it looks like we'll be seeing this relationship for a while. Elsewhere Raj becomes even more pathetic than usual when he falls in love with his phone's virtual assistant, giving some great jokes, especially when Kripke shows up having problems with his voice recognition. And while away from the main stories, Sheldon and Amy create a video podcast on flags. Tell you what, I'd watch it. A very good episode, hopefully the form continues.
****

30 Rock - "Idiots Are People Three" (S06 E03) NBC (US) 26th January 2012
The concluding part of last week's story is a resounding success and one of the best episodes 30 Rock has ever produced. Jack is still in Liz's head over her relationship with Criss, which she eventually sorts out, while Tracy continues his "Idiots Protest". But while both of these threads work fine, it's the other two that absolutely shine. Devon Banks is back (hooray for the return of Arnett!) and resumes his feud with Jack. Cue some excellent work from Alec Baldwin and Will Arnett, as Banks thinks he's gotten the upper hand on Jack, only for Jack to realise that he'll win anyway. And while that was great, the return of the Best Friends Gang is one of the greatest C-Plots in sitcom history. We find out why Pete was unconscious as Kelsey Grammar performs a one man show on Abraham Lincoln. Absolutely magnificent.
**** 1/2

30 Rock - "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" (S06 E04) NBC (US) 26th January 2012
The backlog of episodes due to the show's mid-season start this year allows two episodes this week. The scheduling was a little strange, but never mind that, it's still a treat to get two. This episode sees Jack eliminate the page program to impress Hank Hooper. When things go wrong, Jack realises he needs Kenneth and the rest of the pages. Predictable? Yes. Funny? Yes indeed. Elsewhere, Jenna gets caught up in her new found fame and dumps Liz as a friend, bringing in a fake Kardashian, a YouTube sensation, and Mick Foley (yup, Mick Foley, legend) as her new friends. The fake movie Jenna stars in is extremely well done, the Emma Stone and Andy Samberg cameos working a treat. And Tracy almost has an epiphany, but then realises he was just pissed off at Grizz and Dot Com. It wasn't as good as the first of this week's episodes, but was another excellent piece of television.
****

Whitney - "Codependence Day" (S01 E13) NBC (US) 25th January 2012
Ok, it's still not great, but Whitney has at least turned into a steady show. This episode sees Whitney get a job as Roxanne's assistant, hired mainly to spy on her work rivals. Things naturally don't go quite to plan, but she manages to make everything ok in her own special way. The character has taken a while to warm to, but it is starting to happen. A character who was instantly likeable was Alex, and he has another great episode as he attempts to find things after Whitney rearranged the apartment. I could relate to his situation completely, as I frequently find myself in just that situation. Alex takes matters into his own hands and rearranges everything again himself. Pretty fantastic stuff from him. Now, unfortunately, Neal, Lily and Mark's plot was a bit weak though, as Mark goes to the other two for help in dealing with a clingy girlfriend. Not great. But another pretty decent episode with some good laughs.
***

Archer - "El Contador" (S03 E05) FX (US) 26th January 2012
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Cyril becomes a field agent and immediately gets dropped into a mission in the jungle with Archer and Lana. When he disappears, Archer and Lana decide to continue with the mission and find him later. The mission goes awry when they get captured, only to find out that Cyril has managed to get himself into the criminal's inner circle. They facilitate an escape thanks to Cyril's quick thinking, but he eventually takes a beating when he pisses off Lana. It's wonderfully silly, and Archer at its best. The B-Plot sees Cheryl, Pam and Ray worried about forthcoming drug tests. They are offered a solution by Krieger, but that turns out to be one of his experiments, which causes the three to go crazy. Archer is magnificent, there's really no other way to put it.
**** 1/2

Unsupervised - "Rich Girl" (S01 E02) FX (US) 26th January 2012
The pilot last week was alright, unspectacular, but not bad overall. It certainly had potential. The potential is still there, but "Rich Girl" is on the same level as the pilot. A new student has joined the school, a drug addled goth girl called Allie. Joel and Gary take her home after she passes out on drugs only to find out that her dad is a dentist and pretty well off. A plan is hatched to hook the dad up with Gary's stepmum, so they can have a better life. It doesn't work, she ends up shagging Darren, and it's back to the status quo. Meanwhile, Megan decides to start smoking weed. It's been an unspectacular start for this series, but I'll definitely be giving it another couple of weeks.
***

TV Review: What I Watched This Week - 27/01/2012

This will usually be a daily feature on the blog, but I've managed to fall behind after being unusually busy this week. Thanfully, due to NFL Playoffs and Barack doing his thing, there's not been too much on over the past seven days, so it's going to work out just fine! I'll be taking a less in depth look at the TV shows I've been watching (in general, some episodes, particularly season finales and one offs, will receive a full article to themselves) as time constraints and the volume of things I've been watching have made it too difficult to get material done!

Archer - "The Man From Jupiter" (S03 E04) FX (US) 19th January 2012
Following on from a three part mini-season back in September, the world's most incompetent animated secret agent is back causing havoc on our screens. Here, he finds out that his hero, the actor Burt Reynolds (voicing himself), is dating his mother, and sets out to try and put an end to it. He changes his mind when Reynolds helps him elude a Cuban hit squad with a little help from Lana. It's great to have Archer back on television, it really is one of the best animated comedies in recent times
****

Unsupervised - "Pilot" (S01 E01) FX (US) 19th January 2012
The latest animated sitcom to hit FX is Unsupervised, from the team behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and starring creator David Hornsby, Justin Long and Kristen Bell. Focusing on two teenage boys who live with virtually no parental influence, I was worried that it may come across as a cheap Beavis and Butt-head knock off. Thankfully it didn't (although there were a couple of shaky moments along the way). This was a solid, but unspectacular pilot, but there was enough to suggest that Unsupervised has a lot of potential quality in there.
***

Up All Night - "Rivals" (S01 E13) NBC (US) 19th January 2012
After a really strong start, Up All NIght has quietly settle into a comfortable little niche. While that niche is still pretty good, it would be nice to see them try something a little different. "Rivals" saw a former protege of Ava and Reagan (Megan Mullaly showing up in yet another sitcom, she's becoming a female Fred Wilalrd!) stealing all their talk show ideas, while Chris found friendship with one of the mums from Amy's playgroup. Reagan, who always has the potential to overreact, gets jealous, and the whole thing gets a little awkward. It's the awkward situations that give this show a lot of it's comedy, but Up All Night needs to be careful it doesn't become too formulaic.
*** 1/2

House of Lies - "Microphallus" (S01 E03) Showtime (US) 22nd Januray 2012
This is the 2001-12 season's best new show. It is dark, funny, biting, and has enough twists in each 30 minute episode to keep you hooked right to the end. "Microphallus" has a lot going on, but it all boils down to Marty at the end of the day. Don Cheadle has been excelling as this bastard with a heart, and his is a complex story in this episode that is going to build into something more over the next few weeks if the last few scenes have anything to go by. And fair play to Kristen Bell for continually stealing the show as Jeannie. Three episodes in and I'm hooked on House of Lies.
**** 1/2

Above Suspicion: Silent Scream - "Part 3" (S04 E03) ITV1 (UK) 23rd January 2012
The final part of what has been an excellent mini-series gave us the conclusion that we may have expected, but it was an exciting ride to get there. Despite ending up in hospital due to the actions of a suspect, Anna finds an integral piece of evidence that manages to catch the killer and his accomplice. The procedural part is wrapped up, but the episode takes a shocking twist at the end as we find out that Anna was the one who cost Langton his prootion after all. A wonderfully written and acted three weeks of television and it's a shame we'll have to wait a year for the next mini-series.
****

Happy Endings - "Code War" (S02 E07) E4 (UK) 26th January 2012
Well well well. It's just getting better this show. Happy Endings had a stellar first season, but the beginning of this second has taken it to another level. "Code War" sees Max and Dave engage in an increasingly silly conflict when Dave dates Max's ex girlfriend (thinking that since he was gay, Max wouldn't mind). Brad and Jane go to war over their "work spouses" while Penny and Alex don't actually do much, but still manage to have some of the funniest moments of the episode. If Happy Endings can carry on this quality, it really is going to find itself at the top of the sitcom tree.
**** 1/2

TV Review: The Office - "Pool Party"

Season 8 - Episode 12
NBC (US)

After last week's excellent A-Plot was let down by a rubbish B-Plot, this week sees a show with an A-Plot by default, which wasn't very good and I don't think many people will ever care about, and a bunch of other unconnected threads and throwaway jokes. This wasn't a bad episode per-se, it just wasn't very interesting at all.

At a pool party at Robert California's soon to be sold house, Andy is unsure whether to propose to his girlfriend Jessica, and Erin decides to try and make him jealous. This is a whole mess of a plot, Andy is in a serious relationship, but still seems to have feelings for (the increasingly stupid - which is really annoying me) Erin. Erin also still has feelings for him, and there's just a bizarre attempt at oneupmanship from her. Outrageously flirting with Dwight (who takes things too far as per usual) to make Andy jealous, she ends up finding the engagement ring that Andy had lost and giving it back to him. It's pointless, very few people are going to care about it, and it's a waste of an A-Plot.

Elsewhere, Jim continuously tries to escape to get back to Pam and the kids. Kathy, Pam's maternity cover, who has done literally fuck all since being introduced, suddenly seems to fancy Jim. Gabe and Ryan get drunk while trying to impress Robert, which culminates with all three of them jumping into the pool (unfortunately Robert being naked). The rest of the characters do very little, but swan around hopelessly, while the funniest part of the episode is Toby trying to pick the best wine from Robert's wine cellar after being invited to take a bottle.

"Pool Party" had a lot of elements, and only a couple of them worked. It was an episode that didn't need to be made, and it's a shame that there's been a few of them this season.

** 1/2

TV Review: 30 Rock - "Idiots Are People Two"

Season 6 - Episode 2
NBC (US)

This being the first part of a two part episode, it did feel a little bit unfinished. With several storylines going on, it was enjoyable, but I think it is going to take the concluding part next week to really get it.

So I'm going to say relatively little about this episode, and see where it goes next week. It will be interesting to see exactly why Pete was found passed out with his pants down, clutching a lingerie catalogue with his head in plastic bag. After Liz defended Tracy against being a homophobe by calling him an idiot, will his "Idiot's Protest", with Denise Richards as a spokesperson (a very funny cameo), manage to change the world. Exactly why is Jack so disapproving of Liz's new boyfriend Criss (James Marsden, yet another top guest star from 30 Rock), and why has he funded him? And what are The Best Friends Gang going to do this time? It was a delight to see Kelsey Grammer return as the wickedly over the top version of himself that he has played on this show before, and it's going to be fun seeing what happens.

"Idiots Are People Two" was more of a set-up episode than a stand alone. But there were a lot of funny moments. Next week will be the clincher, but if the set-up was this good, it should be a pretty good conclusion.

*** 1/2

TV Review: The Big Bang Theory - "The Recombination Hypothesis"

Season 5 - Episode 13
CBS (US)

I hate it when TV shows do this. I really hate it. This, the 100th episode of The Big Bang Theory was one of the best that they've done in quite some time. But then they reveal that almost the entire episode took place in Leonard's head.

And it's a real shame that it was all just a fantasy, because as a storyline it really worked. Leonard decides to ask Penny out on a date and we witness the whole thing going sour, but the two continuing to have sex. It was a believable scenario, as the two characters seem on the surface completely wrong for each other, but have a deep compatibility quite unlike any other television relationship. So when the whole thing is shown to be a fantasy in Leonard's head, it is a bit of a let down. But even having seen things go wrong in his head, he asks Penny out anyway and we'll get ready for the outcome of that. It was actually quite sweet.

And notwithstanding it being fantasy, this was actually a very very funny episode. The B-Story between Sheldon, Howard and Raj may have been full of pretty childish jokes, but they were very funny. As was the interactions with the girls as they helped Penny prepare for the date (once in fantasy, and one for real at the end of the episode). And the little nods to the pilot episode at the very start were a very nice touch, and a nice nod to the show's past.

This was a solid four and a half star episode of TBBT, but has lost something for being mainly fantasy. Ultimately, I enjoyed it enough to rate it four stars, but I do not want to see them fool us like this again.

****

TV Review: Happy Endings - "Lying Around"

Season 2 - Episode 6
E4 (UK)

The second season of Happy Endings has solidly built on the good groundwork laid by the thirteen episode first run. The characters are becoming more fleshed out (and just utterly lovable in the case of Penny, flaky but adorable!) and the plots are working brilliantly.

This episode sees Brad decamp to a local hotel in anticipation of Jane's annoying college friend arriving for a visit. Of course, he tells Jane he's at a work retreat, but his cover is blown by the always bumbling Max. Instead of getting angry, Jane enjoys a little "stay-cation" of her own. It's a drastically silly plot, but it's really funny, and works well in the context of the characters.

Elsewhere, Dave tries to film an advert for his sandwich van, and is helped out by Max. The advert turns out great, but they neglect to mention the business at all. And Penny sets Alex up with a guy who likes grand gestures, and then gets jealous when her own boyfriend turns out to be pretty boring. It doesn't give the girls much to do, but it is a funny little aside.

"Lying Around" is a really good episode of a show that is becoming really excellent television. It's nice to see a sitcom like this doing so well.

****

TV Review: The Middle - "Hecking It Up"

Season 3 - Episode 14
ABC (US)

Frankie has Superbowl fever. She's going to be a volunteer at the game and have the eyes of the world watching her. Of course, that's what she thinks anyway. And if they had gone with that as the storyline, this might have been a better episode.

Unfortunately, what we get is the family at their absolute selfish worst. With their friends and neighbours the (pretty perfect) Donovons on a trip to the big game itself, Frankie is left to put their brand new car in their garage. From there, the whole Heck clan abuses the car for their own selfish reasons. While Mike was only napping, Brick was using it to get some peace from Axl and Sue was using it to practice her driving (without actually driving the car - save for when she accidentally slips the handbreak off and is forced to drive it round the block; probably the funniest scene of the episode), Axl and Frankie both take the car on drives. The end of the episode sees them basically having ruined the car and covered it in crap. I just don't believe that these people are shitty enough to do this. Sure, it's nice when they clean it up together, and the resolution is predictably saccharine, but I just don't think they would have acted like that in the first place.

The best thing about the episode is Sue. She plucks up the courage to tell new boyfriend Matt (introduced last week) that she loves him, and is crushed when he doesn't return the feelings. He eventually does, just having been caught off guard by Sue's gung-ho attitude, but her moping is a huge plus point of the episode - as well as her aforementioned accidental drive round the block. Eden Sher is excelling in the character, who is fast becoming one of my favourites on television just now.

"Hecking It Up" is the Hecks at their worst, but not the show at its worst. It's not the best episode ever, but The Middle is always worth watching.

***

TV Review: Modern Family - "Little Bo Bleep"

Season 3 - Episode 13
ABC (US)

I'm not really sure what it was about this episode of Modern Family that made it feel a little flat. Everything about it was absolutely fine, but for some reason it just didn't work quite right as a full episode.

First things first, it would be excruciating to be Phil Dunphy's daughter. Phil was magnificent in this episode. Him trying to justify himself and making things much worse was absolutely cringingly hilarious. Big props to Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter for the facial expressions they pulled off during this scene, they really captured the moment. All of this happened at Claire's debate with Councillor Duane Bailey (David Cross at his smug best reprising his guest role). The debate is really well done, as was the build up to it, with a practice debate in the Dunphy living room. (The autotune remix of Phil's speech is bloody brilliant as well).

Elsewhere, Lily is a flower girl at a wedding the same day (who's wedding, we don't know, although the whole family are invited). On top of the tacky dress, she's picked up a habit of dropping the F-bomb, which Cam can't help but laughing at. Naturally, she drops one at the wedding, and for some reason the whole family burst into fits of laughter. Not sure that they would really do that at a wedding, but there we go. The C-Plot sees Jay believe that his dog Stella is suicidal, as she keeps jumping into the swimming pool. Naturally, the dog was just looking for a toy, but it got some laughs.

As I said, there wasn't really anything wrong with this episode, it just didn't live up to the potential that it had. Still a good watch, but not the best the show has done.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Two and a Half Men - "A Possum on Chemo"

Season 9 - Episode 14
CBS (US)

Sophie Winkleman's Zoey has been a pretty solid addition to the cast of Two and a Half Men since being introduced before Christmas. In this episode, she shows a new side of herself that Walden has to decide whether he can deal with.

The main thread of the episode sees Zoey wanting Walden to cut his hair and shave. I'd have personally told her to take a running jump, but Walden considers it for the whole episode. On the plus side, we get to see Berta, who has been absent for a few episodes. It's always nice to see the sarcastic housekeeper at her best, and she was on form in this episode, even if the appearence was nothing more than a cameo.

Elsewhere, Alan sees his ex-girlfriend Lyndsey, who is now dating a much younger, richer man. After pining for a while (and taking the bait from a prank from Jake and his friend Eldridge, who happens to be Lyndsey's son - the two of whom had a funny, if silly scene where they're stoned out of their minds) things take an unexpected turn when Lyndsey comes back to him. But while he's initially happy, thingsaren't as sparkling as he'd have liked.

This is a pretty decent episode of Two and a Half Men, with some good laughs throughout. It's been a solid but unspectacular season so far, and that trend continues.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Whitney - "Faking It"

Season 1 - Episode 12
NBC (US)

Hooray! It's a pretty decent episode of Whitney again! "Faking It" has three stories, two of which are good, one of which is passable (once again, it's the thread actually involving Whitney that is the weakest, but I digress). 

The strongest plot once again involves Alex. This time he's looking for a new website idea to solve some of his boredom and make some money. He partners with Neal to meet some investors, but can't think of any ideas. Cue dressing ten years too young to find out what the "youth" is into, and eventually stumbling onto his next big idea. Chris D'Elia is fantastic in this role, and continues to be the best thing about the show. The A-Plot sees Whitney pretending to be into everything Lily puts in front of her while wedding planning. It has some funny moments, but probably shouldn't have been the main plot of the episode. And in what was rather ridiculously relegated to the C-Plot, Mark and Roxanne continue their bizarre friendship when getting screened for STI's at a blood drive. These two together are gold. I don't want to ship them, because a romantic plot would be a mistake, but their awkward friendship is frequently funny.

It looks to me like Whitney has found its feet over the last few episodes. It's not absolutely hilarious rollocking laugh a minute comedy, but it does have enough to keep on coming back.

***

TV Review: Raising Hope - "Mrs Smartypants"

Season 2 - Episode 11
Fox (US)

There are several reasons why this episode worked. Fred Willard guest starring as a grumpy teacher who holds a grudge is one of them. Willard has appeared in pretty much every successful sitcom of the last 15 years, and when he pops up, he usually brings the goods. Another is the way the family all come together to do something that benefits one of them, but makes them all feel good.

The Chances realise that Hope is showing signs of being smart, which is in stark contrast to the rest of them. This urges Jimmy to sit his High School Equivalency Exam so that he can show Hope that school is important and to encourage her to nurture her talents. Burt and Virginia soon decide to take the exam as well, and soon Sabrina, Maw-Maw and Frank (Burt was actually looking for Barney, but he was off) are helping them study. Fred Willard is their teacher, and has already seen all three of them quit school before, and gives them no chance. The resolution is quite sweet, which is pretty standard for this show, and something they do really well.

But for all its warmth and charm, this episode was sadly a little light on the comedy. There were some good jokes dotted around, and the overall episode was good, I just felt that a few more good gags could have taken it to the next level.

*** 1/2

TV Review: New Girl - "The Story of the 50"

Season 1 - Episode 10
Fox (US)

It's the dream team! Lizzy Caplan is guest starring alongside Zooey! I was in heaven watching this episode! All that was required to make it perfect would have been Alison Brie!

Caplan is playing Julia, Nick's new love interest, and she's a great addition to the episode, managing to fit in with the gang right away and interact well, unlike so many guest stars who just seem out of place (see Long, Justin in this very show). But her main arc looks like it will take place next week (or possibly two weeks, depending on what episode guide is correct), so it was all about Schmidt this week, and the surprise party that Jess threw for his 29th birthday.

The episode actually starts with Schmidt being forced to deposit $50 in the "douchebag jar" and we flashback to see exactly what he did to deserve such a punishment. There are some great moments, such as Jess ordering a "last minute stripper" on the phone, said stripper turning out to be a middle aged man, and Jess' boss becoming a drunken mess. It was pretty predictable at the end why Schmidt was having to pay the $50, but that didn't dampen the episode at all.

"The Story of the 50" showed exactly why New Girl has been the best of the freshman comedies this season. Zooey Deschanel is a brilliant sitcom lead, she's quirky, cute and very likeable. Her supporting cast are all interesting, developing characters, and the writing has been consistently solid. Now, I'd watch Zooey read from a phone book, but that doesn't make me biased. This was a pretty damn good episode regardless.

****

Film Review: The Artist

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, Uggie.

Sometimes a film comes along and does something very special. Sometimes a film comes along and gives you goosebumps. Sometimes a film comes along and is instantly timeless. The Artist comes along and does all of these things and more. I'm not usually one to take Oscar bait, but this transcends all of that. This is a love letter to another time, and is one of the most charmingly beautiful pieces of cinema I can ever remember seeing.

In 1927, George Valentin (Dujardin) is the biggest silent movie star in Hollywood. But as silent films are being phased out in favour of the "talkies", his career contrasts with young actress Peppy Miller (Bejo), who becomes the hottest star in the new age of cinema. As the lives of the two go in different directions, their paths cross frequently, as over a period of five years, their fortunes go in completely different directions. Valentin slips into obscurity, with only his faithful Jack Russell (Uggie, in a magnificent performance) for company. Meanwhile, Peppy's star only grows, as she becomes the toast of Tinseltown and the biggest star in film.

And all of this transpires without a single line of dialogue. Until the last 90 seconds or so, "The Artist" is in itself a silent film. Through the award winning score (it's already won the Golden Globe) and the body language of the stars (with infrequent text cards conveying some of the context) the story is told in a quite magnificent way. It's fully black and white, presented in a classic 4:3 ratio, and genuinely feels like you're watching a quite brilliant relic. 

There is quite simply nothing like this film around, and there hasn't been for some time. It may seem odd that a Dujardin has been nominated for, and indeed won Best Actor awards when he speaks precisely two words in the entire film, but he is fully worthy of the accolades. Bejo is fantastic as well, and it's a real shame that dogs aren't allowed to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, as Uggie would absolutely walk it. "The Artist" is absolutely brilliant. Make sure you give it a watch.

*****

Classic TV Review: That '70s Show - "That '70s Pilot"

Season 1 - Episode 2
Originally Aired: August 30th 1998, Fox (US)

After a pretty stellar pilot episode, That '70s Show continued its good start with "Eric's Birthday". As Eric turns 17, he attempts to convince Kitty not to throw him a surprise party (to no avail), and Donna struggles with her newfound feelings for Eric.

The episode focuses on the "planning" of the party, Donna trying to find the perfect gift with "help" from Jackie, and then the party itself. All of the elements work well, we get the introduction of Eric's older sister Laurie (the object of Kelso's affections despite him being with Jackie), who we quickly find out isn't the wholesome little girl she'd have Red believe. At the end up, the adults leave the kids in the house to have their party, much to the chagrin of Kitty (who's horrible fantasy of what may happen in the house without her is one of the funniest parts of the episode) who then quickly becomes drunk as she sees her baby growing up. Donna gives Eric a scented candle, which he doesn't understand, but appreciates anyway, and the episode ends with the rest of the gang attempting to spy on the pair. 

The comedy came very naturally in the early episodes of this series. "Eric's Birthday" is still a solid episode now, and the consistency shown in the early days was very much an indicator of what was to come.

*** 1/2

TV Review: 2 Broke Girls - "And the Upstairs Neighbour"

Season 1 - Episode 14
CBS (US)

Hmmm, ok. Not sure about this one to be honest. The girls's new neighbour is Jennifer Coolidge pretending to be Polish, and a series of misunderstandings lead them rather predictably to believe that she's a prostitute. 

Of course she's not, and they manage to offend her. BUt make it up to her by giving her some cupcakes (which we now know are from ready mix) and the next thing we know, she's offering them both a job at her cleaning firm so they can amke enough money to fulfil their dreams (which are bloody bullshit because Max can't actually bake!)

And that's about it. There were some laughs, Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs are still great, but most of this episode was absed around Coolidge with a silly accent. Not great.

** 1/2

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother - "46 Minutes"

Season 7 - Episode 14
CBS (US)

It's getting there again. It went through a spell of forgetting to be a comedy, but has come back in the post Christmas episodes. "46 Minutes" isn't a classic, but has two pretty funny stories running parallel to each other, and ends with a pretty sweet little resolution.

Lily and Marshall finally move out to Long Island permanently, leaving Ted, Barney and Robin feeling lost. So along with Kevin (who still doesn't seem to do much other than just be there) they decide to go to a strip club at the behest of Barney, who has installed himself as new group leader. There they meet Lily's Russian Stripper Doppleganger (from season 5's "Double Date"), who they nickname "Better Lily". They also meet her massive Russian bouncer boyfriend, coined "New Marshall". Together they have a wild adventure round New York's seedier hangouts, and end up getting inadvertently robbed. 

Lily and Marshall have moved to their new house (Lily's grandparents' old house for those keeping score), but Lily's dad Mickey won't leave them alone. When Marshall blows a fuse, it leads to a hilarious sequence in nightvision when Mickey directs Marshall to the fuse box in the basement. It's a very funny sequence indeed, and it's nice to see the show do something like this. The end of the episode sees the gang all together again, a nice little ending.

How I Met Your Mother has gone through the trenches this year. They've done some great episode, but some have fallen flat. This is a step in the right direction, long may it continue.

*** 1/2

TV Review: House of Lies - "Amsterdam"

Season 1 - Episode 2
Showtime (US)

House of Lies' pilot episode was a tour de force, a biting black comedy that was as outrageous as it was funny. The second episode had a lot to live up to if it was going to prove to be weekly must-see television.

And while "Amsterdam" wasn't quite as good as the pilot, it stood up well and took us further into the world of management consulting with Marty and his team. Basically, be utter bastards and get paid a shit lot of money for it. After shagging his ex-wife in the toilet of a posh restaurant, Marty and his team are dispatched to Phoenix to help solve a dispute between the warring husband and wife team who own the fictional NBA franchise the Huskies (I'll let it slide that Huskies is a pretty ridiculous name for a team from the desert - but only because I'm happy that my team, the Phoenix Suns weren't brought into things!). The team are once again completely unscrupulous when it comes to getting the job done, and that's the whole point in the show. Whatever it takes.

But then again, Marty is seen to be a deeply caring father to his pre-pubescent transvestite son. The contrast is stark between his business persona and personal persona. In business, it looks like he killed the opportunity for Jeannie to move to a higher paying job with another company because he wants her on his team (he never explicitly states that he did so, but it is highly implied - although she did seem strangely happy about it); but in his home life, he wants his son to be happy and able to express himself. It's great character dynamic, and I hope something we'll see more of as the season progresses. 

There's also a bizarre cameo from Cat Deeley. Seemingly just to paint Doug as some sort of pervert. Really quite a funny cameo, and if this is the type of thing House of Lies can do on a regular basis, I'll be more than happy to watch every week.

****

TV Review: Above Suspicion - "Silent Scream Part 2"

Season 4 - Episode 2
ITV1 (UK)

The investigation into the murder of actress Amanda Delaney is in full swing, and the events of this episode manage to ask as many questions as they answer. 

Throughout the episode, multiple suspects emerge, but manage to rule themselves out after a short conversation with the police. It's the type of thing that happens in real life, and shows the frustration that the force, led by Langton and Travis have to contend with. But while Delaney's fellow actors, her lovers, and their wives rule themselves out of suspicion, more suspects emerge. A pair of increasingly dodgy drivers seem to have something to hide, and a third possible driver, who also appears to be a dealer, is nowhere to be found. And as things come to a close, another of Delaney's drug addicted former flatmates is fished out of a river. Two of her former flatmates now dead, something is going on.

The episode also furthers the relationship between Langton and Travis. As he accuses her of being the one to sabotage his promotion, the sexual tension builds. IT's a brilliantly shot scene, full of emotion, and I really hope it gets some sort of resolution of it's own in next week's final episode.

This served very much as the mid-part of the story, nothing was resolved, but plenty happened nonetheless. It's left me absolutely gripped for the finale next week.

****

TV Review: Family Guy - "The Blind Side"

Season 10 - Episode 11
Fox (US)

After last week's absolute stinker, this is a vast improvement. Yet it's still not even what could be classed as a great episode. 

It's a standard "Brian gets a girlfriend" plot, but this time she's blind and hates dogs. Cue him trying everything to cover up the fact that he is a canine, with Stewie helping out in a way that only Stewie can (including cutting Brian's tail off and cauterising the wound with a candle!). It doesn't go to plan and it's yet another failed relationship for Brian. He really should have stuck with Jillian.

Elsewhere Peter has trouble with the slippery new stairs in the house, causing him to decide to live completely upstairs (yup, Peter's logic is never great!). There's a great visual gag involving Joe, and Quagmire becomes even more perverted than usual.

"The Blind Side" isn't a bad episode at all, and had a lot of good laughs. It's not up there with their best, but it's far from the worst either.

***

TV Review: The Simpsons - "The D'oh-cial Network"

Season 23 - Episode 11
Fox (US)

When South Park can crack out a parody within a week, it really does make The Simpsons look poor when they put out a parody of a film that was released almost 18 months ago. It doesn't help that it's absolutely crap either.

This is an awful episode of The Simpsons for the second week in a row. It is once again devoid of any original ideas, and also devoid of comedy. It basically spoofs the main plot of "The Social Network" but manages to completely miss the point. Apparently Lisa invented social networking, or if she didn't, no-one in Springfield had ever heard of it before. It was an attempt at satrising the pehnomenon of online friends, but once again, completely missed the point. Just a terrible episode.

And to make matters worse, it ran ridiculously short. So short in fact, that they tagged on a scene that only makes sense if you've seen "The Social Network" and wasn't funny anyway, and even that left it short. The episode was ended by an Edgar Allen Poe inspired short story that was neither funny nor had a point. Literally the only good thing here was the Letterman couch gag. Just a shame it had to be associated with a crap episode like this.

*

TV Review: The Office - "Trivia"

Season 8 - Episode 11

NBC (US)

It's been a pretty dreadful season for The Office. The loss of Steve Carell (although he does appear to make an uncredited, non speaking cameo in this episode) has hurt the show, and the introduction of James Spader's Robert California character has been an abject failure in my eyes. But then they come along with an episode like this. Over half of the episode is absolutely fantastic, encompassing everything that's great about this series. Unfortunately it was dampened slightly by a pretty dire B-Plot, but the A-Plot here is  by far the best thing they've done since "Goodbye Michael".

And the premise is so simple. After a bit of setup, where it turns out Andy needs to sell $843 dollars worth of paper to meet the office's sales target for the quarter, the whole office heads to Philadelphia for a trivia contest that Oscar was headed to. With a prize of $1000. And from there, it's just brilliant. It turns out the quiz is in a gay bar, and there's a limit of four people in a team. Splitting the Office into the A-Team, the B-Team and the "Just For Fun" Team, Andy sets his sights on the prize. But while his team of Daryl, Jim and Ryan falters, The "Just For Fun" team of Kelly, Kevin, Meredith and Erin manage to win the whole thing. It's a truly delightful A-Plot and The Office at its very best.

It's really a shame about the B-Plot where Dwight travels to Florida to enquire about a manager's job. Gabe is there, as he spends half the week in Florida (Tuesdays and Thursdays, flying every single day, which was not funny and just made Gabe look needlessly stupid). Robert California tries to fob Dwight off, and Dwight ends up at his house. It was a waste of two good characters in Dwight and Gabe (although Dwight has been dangerously close to self-parody this season) and nothing with California on screen was funny.

This was a four and a half star episode with a one star B-Plot. The very strong main story carried enough weight for me to still rate this well, and I hope that is the style we get to the end of the season.

*** 1/2

TV Review: 30 Rock - "Dance Like Nobody's Watching"

Season 6 - Episode 1
NBC (US)

It's been away a long time, held off until January on account of Tina Fey having a baby, but 30 Rock is back. And while it's not quite back with a bang, the sixth season premiere had enough to suggest that it's going to be another good season with Liz, Tracy, Jack and co.

Liz is unusually chipper as the gang return from their holidays, and Jack sets out to find out exactly why. He is accompanied by Tracy, who is becoming increasingly infuriated at not being able to get Liz to acknowledge his craziness. As the two first think that she's on drugs, it turns out that she's been dancing with the WNBA's New York Liberty's Timeless Torches Dance Team. A troupe of amateurs who entertain the crowds at Madison Square Garden when the Liberty are at home. Thinking he's solved the mystery, Jack drops Liz off at the cinema, where he sees her meeting a man. And thus the stories for the next few weeks are started!

Elsewhere, Jenna has found herself as the mean spirited judge on an American Idol style competition for kids (John McEnroe plays himself - as the nice judge in an absolutely inspired cameo), which Jack meddles with when he sees Jenna upset a child who reminds him of his own daughter (his wife, Avery is still imprisoned in North Korea, now by Kim Jong-un following the death of his father!) After realising he cares more about ratings than the feelings of other people's children, he allows Jenna go back to her mean ways. And Kenneth is convinced the Rapture is coming, and the writers decide to mess with him while Pete tries to keep the peace. It's a silly, but ultimately very funny sub-plot.

It's a welcome if unspectacular return from 30 Rock, but seems to have worked well as an episode to set up the rest of the season. It is a shame that it's replaced Community in the schedules (still no news on its return BTW, just "Spring" for now) but I'm always happy to have Liz Lemon and the gang on my screen.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Up All Night - "New Year's Eve"

Season 1 - Episode 12
NBC (US)

Thanks to the network scheduling commonplace in the States, this New Year's episode of Up All Night does end up shown almost a fortnight after the day. It doesn't derail the episode though, which builds the main characters well, something this show has been very good at doing from the beginning.

Deciding to have a quiet New Year, Chris and Reagan decide to invite Ava and her boyfriend Kevin (the excellent Jason Lee continuing his entertaining guest role) as well as Missy and her new boyfriend (who turns out to be a handsome, half Jewish, British surgeon with a talent for cooking). Reagan's competitiveness comes out while playing games (which Chris thought he had managed to hide), leading to an argument between the two over things that drive each other crazy. This comes to a sweet conclusion, and once again shows that these are very real characters, who have been extremely well conceived, and continue to be well written.

Elsewhere, Ava and Kevin have a discussion on where their relationship is going after Kevin feels like Ava is embarrassed to be seen with him (again with a pretty sweet little conclusion) and Missy acts like a total flake - nice character development for someone who has just sort of been there so far. 

It is an episode a little light on laughs, but stands well as a character development episode. This show has lost a little steam since its debut, but does remain a solid watch.

*** 1/2

TV Review: The Big Bang Theory - "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver"

Season 5 - Episode 12
CBS (US)

The Big Bang Theory had an absolute nightmare of an episode before the Christmas break, the episode about bullies was one of, if not the, worst episodes the show has ever produced. Thankfully, its post holiday return was much better, and up there with the best of the show's recent output.

The main thread of the episode involves Sheldon managing to offend his now girlfriend Amy. His sheer ignorance of how to be a boyfriend is pretty funny to see, and gives one of the best reactions I've ever seen on a sitcom. Leonard walks in to find him playing Red Dead Redemption, but simply wandering around aimlessly rather than playing a mission. His reasoning - "I wanted to take a walk and clear my head". I'm honestly not exaggerating when I say I laughed for a good five minutes at that line. Brilliant. The resolution sees Sheldon buying Amy jewellery to make things up to her. She's unimpressed at first, until she sees the product, a diamond tiara. That gave the second great reaction of the episode, and another very funny moment.

Elsewhere, Howard finds out that Bernadette hates children (evidenced when she acts as his assistant during a magic show). Their relationship very nearly collapses, as Howard deeply wants children, but is salvaged when she suggests that he becomes a house husband. Leonard and Raj don't do much this week, and the same can be said for Penny, but their fleeting appearences do give some good comedic moments.

It's a much better episode of TBBT than the recent run of poor ones, but is still nowhere near its best. I swithered about adding an extra half star to the rating, but it would mainly have been based on 2 lines. So think of this as a very good three and a half star episode, with the hope that the show can maintain some sort of consistency.

*** 1/2

TV Review: Modern Family - "Egg Drop"

Season 3 - Episode 12
ABC (US)

It's another strong showing from Modern Family this week, with Phil once again heavily at the forefront. The great dynamic that Luke and Manny have is played again, and Claire and Jay's competitiveness comes out again with some pretty great results.

Phil is hosting a real estate seminar and enlists Haley and Gloria to help him out. Unfortunately the two girls go to a salon before the seminar and manage to miss the whole thing. This ends with Phil finally getting angry at Gloria, which makes her realise that they're a proper family. Don't ask, you need to see it, but it is sweet. Claire and Jay push themselves into a competition over Luke and Manny's school projects, which has a surprising little twist, while Alex snarks at them the whole time. The develpoment of Alex from a naive, smart, geeky little girl into a smartarse know it all teenager has been superbly done, subtle yet noticable all the same. As I said last week, young Ariel Winter has all the makings of a star, and it's in no small part down to his performances that the character has progressed so well.

Elsewhere, Cam and Mitchell interview a perspective birth mother for their adoption bid, and manage to do really well, until the very end of teh interview. This plot did unfortunately separate them from the rest of the gang for the entire episode, but was a funny little aside, and as long as they don't drag it out too long, might me a nice addition in the short regular term.

Modern Family seemed to have run out of steam at the start of the third season, but has been in stellar form the past few episodes. I'm glad it's found its feet again, as I'm not ready to ditch this family just yet.

****

TV Review: The Middle - "The Map"

Season 3 - Episode 13
ABC (US)

I'm not really quite sure how to review this episode of The Middle. It's quite frankly superb. The interplay between the characters is at its absolute best and the final scene (instagated by Mike, who is becoming the best character in this excellent show) is a prime example of the sweetness and warmness that makes The Middle what it is.

The death of Frankie's Aunt Ginny (who it turns out was 100 years old) leads the family to realise that they need to spend more time together and be there for each other at important events. This involves Frankie attending Sue's cheerleading meet and seeing her asked out by one of the wrestlers (Hannah Montana's Moises Arias branching away from the Disney Channel) by way of a Haka. The facial expressions Eden Sher pulls out in this scene are brilliant, her performances are getting better and better. Elsewhere Axl helps Brick in his school project of making a dough map of a state. Unfortunately, they use brownie mix and eat it. Then pancake mix and eat it. And then order pizzas to cut into shape. And eat them too. The episode ends with Mike getting the whole family - including Aunt Evie - together to celebrate every event they had put off over teh past year. It's a beautiful scene, and fitting of this show.

The format of this show allows things to get stale from time to time. But when they get it right, they get it right big time. "The Map" is as good as The Middle has ever been, and I really hope it goes from strength to strength.

**** 1/2

TV Review: Happy Endings - "Spooky Endings"

Season 2 - Episode 5
E4 (UK)

The problem with watching this increasingly excellent show at UK pace is we're getting a Hallowe'en episode in mid January. But while considering US Pace for season 3, I'm highly enjoying the show, as its ensemble formate is getting stronger every week.

As is pretty standard for a Hallowe'en episode, the gang decide to dress up, which leaves us with the truly bizarre sight of Penny as a new mother, with Max as her baby. As both of them try to get with new partners while attached to each other via the costume. It's a surreal costume, but works with Penny's character. In the meantime, Dave and Alex enjoy Hallowe'en without a couples costume. However, Dave's Austin Powers is mistaken for Elton John, and as the result of hideous cold, Alex - dressed as Marilyn Monroe - is mistaken for a man in drag. The end gag where she is beaten by Max in the drag queen contest is very very funny as well. And Jane and Brad find out while housesitting, that the suburbs suck every bit as much as the city does.

This was a very good episode of a show that is becoming unmissable. This show barely uses gimmicks, but have proved really nicely that a gimmick episode once in a while is going to work just fine. 

****

TV Review: Whitney - "Private Parts"

Season 1 - Episode 11
NBC (US)

Well it had to happen eventually. I've stuck with it through weeks of crap, and said there's something that keeps me coming back. This week, Whitney got good.

And do you know what? This should have been as crap as the rest of the season. The main gags came from masturbation jokes. But they worked in the context of the episode - the first time the crude and juvenile jokes have done so in the run - and were therefore funny. As I've been saying for weeks, Chris D'Elia as Whitney's live-in boyfriend Alex has been the best thing about this show, and that doesn't change here. He's in great form as he takes the brunt of most of the comedy, yet still comes across as the impressively sardonic, but somehow sweet guy that he is. The rest of the characters are at their best here too, and it makes a big difference.

This is by far the best written and best constructed episode of Whitney yet. I was all ready to write this show off, but I've finally been impressed. It's not magnificent by any stretch of the imagination, but it's enough to justify it sticking around.

*** 1/2

Classic TV Review: That '70s Show - "That '70s Pilot"

Season 1 - Episode 1
Originally Aired: August 23rd 1998, Fox (US)

The pilot episode of a show should set the scene, introduce the characters and give an idea of what is to come from the subsequent episodes. "That '70s Pilot" does exactly these things. It's my first time looking back at and reviewing a show I've watched from start to finish before and it's going to be interesting to see what I think of it this time around.

Naturally, the whole point of this show is that it's supposed to look dated. A show that started in the late nineties while set more than twenty years earlier means that it instantly becomes timeless. In fact the set design was fantastic right from the beginning. Despite not being around in the seventies myself, I, along with most of my contemparies have seen enough footage from the timeframe to know how accurate these sets are. 

The characters, which before I started this rewatch I thought would take a little while to get into, are pretty much instantly likeable. The six main teenagers (and it's amazing looking back on how young they all looked, Mila Kunis especially - she was genuinely 14 at the time of filming, but still) all immediately show the traits that stand with them through most of the series, while the adult characters, Red, Kitty, Bob and Midge all get enough time on screen to suggest that good characters were about to be born. 

The pilot also introduces elements that would become integral to the show for the entire run. The Vista Cruiser, which would remain Eric's car for seven seasons, the psychadelic scene transitions, and the iconic "circle" where a number of the main characters would sit (usually in a marijuana induces stupor) as the camera panned around 360 degrees. 

For the rest of the episodes, I'll look at the episode as if it was first run, but I thought it would be interesting to explore the pilot in a more retrospective way. I'm glad to see it stood the test of time, and it's not hard to see why That '70s Show became one of teh bigegst hit comedies of recent times.

****

TV Review: Family Guy - "Meg and Quagmire"

Season 10 - Episode 10
Fox (US)

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Meg turns 18, Quagmire decides he wants to shag her, Peter flips out. There. That's all you need to know. There were a couple of funny gags - Stewie and Brian involved (Stewie punching Quagmire in the legs was good), and a good one with Chris - but that was it. Skip this one unless you're an absolute completist. Still better than this week's Simpsons mind...

**

TV Review: Above Suspicion - "Silent Scream Part 1"

Season 4 - Episode 1
ITV 1 (UK)

For the fourth year in a row, early January sees a three part adaptation of one of Lynda La Plante's Anna Travis novels. This time, "Silent Scream" gets the treatment, and aims to follow the previous three in being gripping, unmissable drama.

The brilliant Kelly Reilly and Ciarán Hinds are back as Travis and James Langton, and this first part wastes no time getting into the details. Langton has been passed over for promotion and knows that one of his team is responsible. Unbeknownst to the team, he takes over their latest case, the grizzly (although I've got to say, for this show, not as grizzly as past cases) murder of a young film starlet, partly to find out who ratted him out. While the chemistry between Langton and Travis fizzles, it turns out that the young film star wasn't the innocent little girl she was seen as by the public, and by the end of the episode there are several possible suspects floating around, as well as an ex flatmate dead from what appears on first glance to be a drug overdose.

The first part of "Silent Scream" has done exactly what it should have done. It's set the scene, got the viewer gripped and excited to see what happens in next week's installment. Couple that with typically excellent performances, and we're onto a winner here.

****

TV Review: The Simpsons - "Politically Inept With Homer Simpson"

Season 23 - Episode 10
Fox (US)

I know that after over twenty years the content isn't going to be as consistently good as it once was, but every now and then The Simpsons pulls out an absolute stormer (see "The Book Job" and to a slightly lesser extent "Holidays of Futures Passed" from this season alone). This one shouldn't have even seen past the first draft stage. It is such a poor attempt at political satire that it almost descended into self parody.

Now, the idea of Homer becoming a hard hitting plotical talk show host is absolutely stellar. The idea that he would just spout nonsense, yet still become a highly influential figure in politics is solid as well. But how it's actually handled is utter garbage. His analagies are dumb even for Homer, the little jokes that try to be clever come across as snarky and obvious, and even the casting of Ted Nugent as an unlikely presidential candidate seems out of place (although Nugent himself is a good sport voicing himself).

The Simpsons is good at certain things, but save for Sideshow Bob rigging an election over fifteen years ago, political satire is not one of them. Terrible episode, and I really hope it gets better from here.

*

TV Review: American Dad - "The Unbrave One"

Season 7 - Episode 8
Fox (US)

Quite why Fox schedules American Dad in the way it does is beyond me. The seemingly needless long gaps between episodes (there's no new episode for 3 weeks now, and I assume they won't attempt a new one the next weekend on Superbowl Sunday) stop the show from gaining any real momentum and instead of making you anticipate the next one even more, it manages to create a bit of apathy.

The plus side is, that American Dad is consistently funny, by far the most consistent thing Seth MacFarlane has ever put his name to. The main premise of "The Unbrave One", namely Steve is seen as a letdown of a son by Stan, has been done several times before, but they manage to create a new way to put it across. This time, on the advice of Roger, Steve becomes a superhero (in the vein of Kick-Ass or Super, rather than magically gaining powers). Roger of course steals his thunder, but Steve manages to get the last laugh. While it's pretty much a stock plot for the show, it's done really well, and has some genuinely laugh out loud moments. 

Elsewhere in the episode, Francine fears she's pregnant and is "examined" online by the dodgily named Dr. Vadgers (who turns out to be Family Guy's resident pervert Quagmire in a hilarious cameo), and Jeff makes some highly inappropriate comments about his and Hayley's sex life.

"The Unbrave One" is a perfectly good episode of American Dad (although I still protest Klaus needs to be used more) and had a lot of very funny moments. I just hope the show can gain some proper momentum soon.

*** 1/2