Wilfred 211 Review- Long Strange Trip

Ryan- "We need to get to a hospital."

Wilfred- "Come on Ryan, Bear doesn't have insurance."

In the famous words of Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa: "They can't all be winners, can they?" Wilfred Season 2 has been interesting. It has been thought provoking. It's been down right hilarious. "Questions" bucked the trend and came up flat.

Sure, the half hour had its funny moments, but they were few and far between in comparison to gems like last week's "Honesty" or anything from the beginning of the season.

Wilfred's "we understand each other" in thinking Ryan wanted him to kill Kristen's baby, or the way he subtly used those chopsticks to gracefully eat the vomit off of Ryan's shirt, were more of the exception to rule. The majority of "Questions" was too wrapped up in Ryan's trip to take time to be funny.

The trip easily could have gone somewhere intriguing... but it never really did. We ended with Ryan realizing he was sad, and it may have been because of Amanda. It may have been a culmination of a lot of things. At the end of the day, though, his big realization was that simply that he was sad. It was a bit disappointing.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 210 Review- Cat Burglar

Wilfred- "Imagine how hilarious I'd look wearing a full-bodied animal suit."

It was as if they knew I had been saying that the past few episodes of Wilfred weren't living up to the all-time great start to the season... because "Honesty" was everything I could ask for and more.

Scene after scene was a classic. From all-out laughs to the more tender moments, and from simple one off gags to long-running plot related events, this was absolutely fantastic television. Honestly.

It's always great when Wilfred takes on a new persona. The fact that he took on a pair of them, that were both hilarious in their own right, was a big reason for the success of the episode.

The first was how the man-dog portrayed himself as a rape victim in reference to being scratched by the cat. Jason Gann gave off an air of thoughtfulness as he described seeing the cat for the first time. He then quickly provided us with a flare for the dramatic as Wilfy relived the torturous moments that the cats scratched and clawed at his poor face.

To read the rest of my review of this week's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Covert Affairs 306 Review- That's Persistence

Auggie- "The friction's so palpable I'm almost glad I can't see it."

After last week's exciting romp with Eyal, "Hello Stranger" wasn't as overtly entertaining, but there was still plenty to enjoy out of this midseason hour of Covert Affairs.

First and foremost was Annie's persistence. She set her mind to the fact that Sayid was a certain way, and Annie Walker didn't stop until she proved it. The Yemen Prime Minister's Chief of Staff was steadfast on keeping Annie and the CIA out of his life, but the operative was able to chip away at him.

Whether it was continuing to quote the article that she knew he wrote, and him denied having any part of, or finding enough time to make it so they were not actually strangers, Annie put in the work that eventually led to a phone call from the turned-asset to end the episode.

During Annie's mission, Joan told her to get out of town in order to remain safe, and she also came up short on providing safety for a potentially turned Sayid. Combine that with the fact that Annie figured Joan for the one who had Eyal profiling her, and you have one unhappy operative.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Covert Affairs, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 209 Review- On the Road Again

Wilfred- "I don't want to cast a darker shadow on an already tragic day, but I think someone may have eaten part of Jeremy's brains."

The last time we saw Catherine Newman, when we first met her just under a month ago in season one's "Compassion," her situation brought even more intrigue to Ryan's condition. She may have provided some some answers, but she also forced us to ask even more questions about what on earth was going on in Wilfred.

"Service" didn't really evoke those types of thoughts. Instead, it was just another well-written, hilariously performed half hour of television. Or in other words, it was what we have come to expect from Wilfred Season 2.

Like many installments this season, the beginning felt very different from the rest of the episode - setting the scene for what is to come - but like most that have come before it, the opening to "Service" was absolutely hilarious.

It started with Rob Riggle's perfectly timed "Are you down with OPP?" Seriously, that shouldn't have been funny. The phrase has been used time and time again, and probably hasn't been humorous since the new millennium, but there is something about Riggle's subtlety and apathetic attitude that made this work completely.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Covert Affairs 305 Review- Spy Friends

Annie- "What about this job makes it perfect for you?"

Eyal- "Well I'm good with Americans."

Who doesn't love them some Eyal? That's right, Oded Fehr returned to Covert Affairs for a guest appearance in "This is Not America." His charm and obvious chemistry with Piper Perabo made the hour much more entertaining than it would have been without him.

There were a couple of really fun moments between Eyal and Annie, including what I like to call a game of "Good potential employer/Bad potential employer." Not only did that moment make for an interesting dynamic between them and their new target, Isaac, but it also showed the different layers to the relationship.

They're acquaintances. Sometimes they are partners. They've had some intimate moments. Early on in this mission it was announced that they are officially "friends." All of that could have made things extremely awkward when Eyal revealed that he was evaluating her for the department, but like the rock that she is, it didn't seem to faze Annie.

She kept on keeping on, as the two of them continued on the mission, and they even had time to watch a bit of Eyal's son's soccer practice. It showed her that he isn't just this free wheeling spy without a care in the world. Eyal has things, and people, holding him back as well. It's moments like that that probably make Annie feel better about being a spy and having such close relationships with folks.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Covert Affairs, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 212 Review- Master Disaster

Allison- "There's no such thing as fate."

Scott- "There's no such thing as werewolves."

At the end last summer, I said that "we may all be in for a whole lot of fun" in regard to Teen Wolf's second season. It's certainly safe to say that fun was had by all who watched this highly entertaining and very much improved season two.

"Master Plan" was a great end to the run, as it gave viewers highlights from most of our favorite characters, plenty of action towards the end, a few scares, a surprise or two - and a great tease of things to come in next year's super-sized season three.

Teen Wolf did what it does so well over the first 30 minutes or so. It kept things tense while leading to an epic event. As the story progressed toward the battle royal, there was a lot of attempting to figure out what exactly was going on, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through.

Although the tension remained high, the moment between Stiles and Lydia in his room was so tender that it deserves its own mention. Holland Roden was fantastic. She really does prove to do more with a shiver than most can do with a five-minute monologue. Too bad for us Stiles fans, he pushed his 10-year plan back to a 15-year one due to his blow up late in the conversation.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 208 Review- The Game of Games

Ryan- "She makes me feel normal."

Wilfred- "Oh and I don't?"

Ryan- "You're looting my kitchen dressed like one of the wolverines."

Ryan Newman's second biggest secret caused a lot of dominoes to fall in "Truth." Announcing his love to Amanda not only led to her admission of feeling the same and deciding to move in... but it eventually broke them up as well.

Despite the title of this season premiere, Ryan still hasn't made much progress. As his prize for winning the game against Bruce explained, Ryan was playing a ridiculous game with his neighbor's dog and what may or may not be an imaginary crazy person in a basement that might not exist for 12 hours!

Those are the types of activities he wouldn't want others to know he engages in, especially someone he cares about. So Ryan went with the old adage of "setting those you love free." If Amanda comes back to him, and he has figured his life out by then, the two might actually make it.

If that ever happens, it will likely be after the series is over. Wilfred doesn't work if Ryan has it all together. If he's not seeing his neighbor's dog as a crass talking Australian man, there is no show. That's why episodes like "Truth" are so important. It affirmed the fact that this is Ryan's problem, and it's not going away any time soon.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 208 - "Truth"
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Teen Wolf 211 Review- Our Independence Day

Gerard- "I didn't just come here to bury my daughter, I came to avenge her."

In its final episode before the Season 2 finale, Teen Wolf did many of the same things it has done throughout this fantastic summer. "Battlefield" answered a number of questions, gave the viewers plenty more to ponder, and fired all of it out at a rapid pace.

The hour began with a terrifically directed sequence, in which extreme close ups and strange angles were used to build tension as Stiles spoke with the guidance counselor. Tim Andrew deserves credit for hooking us into the hour in a new and interesting fashion.

The action didn't stop there. After hearing howls from wolves in the woods, and apparently realizing that they had lost the current war, Erica and Boyd decided that they wanted to join the new pack they thought they heard. Unfortunately for them, the pack was actually Chris and Allison playing a recording.

Unfortunately for all of us, Allison is now an all out ass kicker. Well, maybe it's unfortunate for the rest of y'all because I loved watching her show no mercy on the two defenseless pups. Crystal Reed was great at playing the stone cold killer that she was in that moment, and it is exactly the kind of crisis that will give this series legs. Allison is losing it a bit, and if that creates tension between her and Scott while giving our hero a formidable opponent, I'm all for it.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 211 - "Battlefield"
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Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

Although it has been three months since the last installment of The Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings, they will keep the Bi-Monthly moniker, because I am simply shifting everything back one month.  August, October, December, February, April, and June works better anyway.  There's that, and there's the fact that I was way too busy moving and starting a new job to post anything at the start of July.  I still don't have time to say a lot, but I do have some new rankings for y'all so take a look...

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

10. Fringe (10, 10) Fridays on FOX
They get one final season to wrap things up in a pretty little bow.  I have no doubt that half the viewers will love the ending, and half will hate it.

9. Sons of Anarchy (9, 3) Tuesdays on FX
Last season was an improvement on season three's hiccup, but not a huge one.  It seems they may never return to the greatness of season two.

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm (5, 1) Sundays on HBO
The former number one takes a big dip after the most recent lackluster season had some time to settle in.  With no new season in the near future, it should stay here for a while.

7. Game of Thrones (4, 2) Sundays on HBO
There was just a lot of clunky story telling in season two.  They need to cut characters and storylines, or add episodes.  There was much too much glancing over arcs.

6. Happy Endings (8, 6) Tuesdays on ABC
The best comedy you aren't watching.  The male actors are hilarious but that's to be expected.  It's the fact that there are three funny ladies in the main cast that sets it apart from the rest.

5. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (7, 5) Thursdays on FX
It's going to be tough to compete with its most recent season, but I have a feeling these guys are just in a bit of a zone.  How will they make Mac being skinny again funny?

4. Breaking Bad (6, 2) Sundays on AMC
The start to this season has probably been the best ever.  With a ton of Walt/Jesse action, we have been lucky.  Hopefully they can continue the excitement throughout the eight eps.

3. Homeland (3, 3) Sundays on Showtime
I have the season two premiered queued up on my computer, and I couldn't be more excited about it.  Bring on the suspense!

2. Community (2, 2) Thursdays on NBC
It's probably going to go downhill fast without Dan Harmon at the helm, but with the cast that they have, I have no doubt it will still be funny.

1. Justified (1, 1) Tuesdays on FX
It's been a while now since Justified hasn't been the best show on television.  Somewhere in the middle of season two Justified became the gold standard.

Wilfred 208 Review- I Bet That's Funny

Ryan- "We decided to leave and start our own boutique law firm together."

Wilfred- "Boutique? So you'd represent jewelry and effeminate trinkets and such?"

There were definitely some funny moments, but probably because creator David Zuckerman dubbed it "maybe [the] funniest ep yet," I was considerably disappointed by "Avoidance."

Don't get me wrong, Kristen's entire performance was fantastic, and it was probably the best use of Dorian Brown yet. The only thing that topped Ryan's friend's ridiculously idiotic inside jokes was Kristen's reaction to each and every one of them.

Whether it was laughing at everything he said, even though she had no idea what the joke was, or attempting to add to the laugh with quips like "that poor duck," she was probably the highlight of the night.

The next best thing about "Avoidance" was the pair of big dance sequences. Yes, I realize there were more than two dancing scenes, but I'm talking about the big numbers.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 208 - "Avoidance"
Review
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Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Although it has been three months since the last installment of The Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings, they will keep the Bi-Monthly moniker, because I am simply shifting everything back one month.  August, October, December, February, April, and June works better anyway.  There's that, and there's the fact that I was way too busy moving and starting a new job to post anything at the start of July.  I still don't have time to say a lot, but I do have some new rankings for y'all so take a look...

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

20. Cougar Town (-, -) Unknown on TBS
Jules and crew have really come into their own after a dreadful start to the series.  This show is worth it for the Bobby/Andy bromance alone.

19. Survivor (17, 14) Wednesdays on CBS
It's still the most watchable and interesting reality competition out there.  If they could just find more successful ways of tweaking it every season.

18. Shameless (16, 16) Sundays on Showtime
I continue to be surprised at how much I enjoy Shameless given how many characters I absolutely detest on screen.

17. Sherlock (-, -) Sundays on PBS
If this series kept its quality while changing the episode style to 12 eps of an hour, it would be one of my favorites on television.

16. 30 Rock (14, 2) Thursdays on NBC
Wait really?  30 Rock is still this high?  It hasn't had a bad season yet, which means it's getting by on decent years with at least some laughs in every episode.

15. Parenthood (15, 13) Tuesdays on NBC
There probably isn't much time left in Parenthood's lifetime, so we better enjoy it while we have it.  Maybe if they got rid of Jabbar more people would tune in.

14. Boardwalk Empire (13, 12) Sundays on HBO
A fantastic finale leaves me excited for the story to be told in season three.  The issue is that they killed off one of the most intriguing characters.

13. Mad Men (12, 3) Sundays on AMC
The most recent season wasn't bad at all, but it kept feeling like nothing was happening.  Slowly but surely, things happened, but it didn't feel that way while watching.

12. Wilfred (19, 12) Thursdays on FX
Easily the best comedy of the summer, Wilfred stepped up in a big way this second season.  They continue to come up with hilarious situation after hilarious situation.

11. The Vampire Diaries (11, 11) Thursdays on The CW
Unfortunately it seems my favorite version of Klaus won't be with us in the near future, which has me worried.  On the other hand, there's always Damon Salvatore.

Covert Affairs 304 Review- California, Here She Comes

Simon- "We're all spinning plates. One's bound to drop from time to time."

Who had episode four in the TV Fanatic pool for when Annie would be back working for the DPD? I sure didn't, but after getting the boot from Lena for apparently botching the Simon mission, that's exactly where Annie ends up in "Speed of Life."

This isn't setting the reset button, though. When I was worried that Covert Affairs might send all the stories back to the status quo too soon after the season premiere, I wasn't imagining this. This we can work with.

Annie was sent back to work at the DPD, but since Simon came back for her by the end of the hour, and she accepted his profession of "like," the situation is still very fluid. She might just go rogue at this point. Lena might HAVE to bring her back into the fold if she's spending just as much time with Simon as she was before.

Either way, this isn't the usual "blow the new stories up to get things back to normal so that fans don't get mad" issue. This was just one wrinkle in this season's longer running plot  Lena wasn't happy with Annie's performance so she had to drop her. Whether that sticks or not depends heavily on what happens after Annie leaves with Simon in that car.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Covert Affairs, head over to TV Fanatic.

Covert Affairs 304 - "Speed of Life"
Review
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Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Although it has been three months since the last installment of The Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings, they will keep the Bi-Monthly moniker, because I am simply shifting everything back one month.  August, October, December, February, April, and June works better anyway.  There's that, and there's the fact that I was way too busy moving and starting a new job to post anything at the start of July.  I still don't have time to say a lot, but I do have some new rankings for y'all so take a look...

Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

Around the World in 80 Plates (-, -) Wednesdays on Bravo
A mix of Top Chef, The Amazing Race, and Survivor?  I'll take it.  It was still mostly Top Chef on the run, but definitely worthy of an easy watch in the summer.

Dallas (-, -) Wednesdays on TNT
This has been a very good guilty pleasure.  I never saw the original, but this new version has had more twists and back stabs than anything else on tv this year.  I'll take that.

Franklin and Bash (-, -) Tuesdays on TNT
Zack Morris as a lawyer is fun every week.  There's not much meat on the bones, but I continue to watch.

The Glass House (-, -) Mondays on ABC
This is on the list simply because it has been so memorably bad.  It is an early favorite for the Heroes Award, as this has been terrible to watch, but I also haven't looked away yet.

The League (-, 12) Thursdays on FX
The third season was a disappointment after a fantastic second year.  I'm hoping for big things from the comedy this fall.

Love in the Wild (-, -) Tuesdays on NBC
Jenny McCarthy was God awful as the host, but the second season had Ben, who was one of my favorite reality contestants in a while.

Men at Work (-, -) Thursdays on TBS
Not in contention for a Poolie come next June, but this was certainly one of the best comedies of the summer.  Hyde, Mike Cannon, and that one dude from a few eps of The O.C., made for a good trio.

The Newsroom (-, -) Sundays on HBO
Most people either love or hate The Newsroom.  I'm not one of those people, as it's been okay thus far.  I'm not outraged, and I'm not cheering.

Political Animals (-, -) Sundays on USA
Ho hum, nothing to see here.  The pilot was very interesting, but it hasn't gone much of anywhere since then.

True Blood (-, 8) Sundays on HBO
It's not what it used to be, but True Blood is also a far cry from the disaster that was season three.  It's been fun this summer.