Men of a Certain Age 212 Review- When It Rains, It Pours

Joe- "Take it easy. Guys can play in the rain."

Albert- "Not old guys."

The structure of this second season of Men of a Certain Age created some mixed feelings for me, but the finale itself was an entertaining end to the summer session, as "Hold Your Finish" featured suspense, humor and a whole lot of drama, making it clear why Men has been one of the underrated shows on TV.

It's not often that all three of the stories of our main characters work well. Let me rephrase: It's not often that the Terry story works, and therefore, it is impossible for all three to come together.

That changed here, as I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's decision to embark on a new creative outlet in life. I was ready to take the whole thing down a few pegs when it looked like he might decide to go back to selling cars. The realization that he needed to grow up and settle down has been made so many times that doing it one more time would have been irritating.

Thankfully, Terry made the final decision to pursue a career in directing, and asked Erin to give him one year to see if it works. The show didn't go around in a circle for the 18th time with this character, but I completely agreed with Owen on the fact that Terry should try to do it on the side for a while.

To read the rest of my review of the Men of a Certain Age season two finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 212 - "Hold Your Finish"
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Men of a Certain Age 211 Review- Tooth of a Kind

Joe- "How ya feeling?"

Manfro- "Like ass. I got cancer, remember?"

It may have taken a stint as a bookie, all of his employees to quit the Party Shop, his own bookie knocking his tooth out, and an awkward run in with an old flame, but in "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" Joe Tranelli finally got his focus back on his goal: make the Senior Golf Tour.

It has been a long journey, but he's kicked the gambling addiction for the time being. There was a moment there - when Bill came to Joe wanting to make another bet - that I thought he was going to fall back into it, but thankfully he didn't. This man continues to grow, even though sometimes it doesn't feel like that's true.

What made that growth, and made Joe's plot, so interesting this week is that it kept building on itself. After he pushed Bill and his money away, and then gave his employees the respect and cash they deserved, I thought the montage of everyone playing golf and having a good time at Joe's Party Shop was the end of that story.

They were all so happy that it seemed to be the climax of Joe's trek in making his way back to the top.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Men of a Certain Age, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 211 - "Whatever Gets You Through The Night"
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Men of a Certain Age 210 Review- No More Bets

Joe- "You gotta do it right? You can't let people take advantage of you."

With these words to Owen, Joe helped his friend take care of business at work, while convincing himself to lay down the law with his new bookie business. Thankfully for Joe, only one of those circumstances came true in "Can't Let That Slide."

It seemed daunting to come back with another great episode after "A League of Their Owen," but by continuing to give Ray Romano and Andre Braugher terrific material to do their respective things - and allowing Scott Bakula's Terry to find himself in weirder and weirder situations that make for comic relief - enabled Men of a Certain Age put forth another quality hour of television.

Joe's trouble in dealing with the fact that he had somehow taken on his own side bookie business with some of Manfro's customers came to a climax when his new client bet five grand on Kentucky. The story became that much more interesting because I could have seen it going in a number of ways. Joe could have lost, but we've seen that before.

So he won - the Dukies pulled it out for him - but the client wasn't paying up. So, following his advice to Owen about not letting people take advantage, it seemed the addict was ready to take what was rightfully his. Honestly, I wouldn't have had a problem if Joe had gone down such a dark path, but that's just now who he is.

To read the rest of my review of Wednesday's Men of a Certain Age, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 210 - "Can't Let That Slide"
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Men of a Certain Age 209 Review- A Freight Train

Jesse- "Bitch stole second."

From Hoosiers to The Mighty Ducks, and from Rudy to Ladybugs, underdog sports movies have a special place in many of our hearts. That place was brought back to the forefront in "A League of Their Owen."

The tale of a bunch of misfits getting together to take on the bigger, stronger, more talented, and better-dressed team has been around for ages. Men of a Certain Age certainly put its own twist on that same old story, and it made for my favorite episode of the summer season.

The hilarity of this episode begins with the fact that although Big Owen Thoreau was an NBA star, little Owen Thoreau has a difficult time dribbling a basketball without falling on his face. While many of his Thoreau Chevrolet softball compadres are not much better, at least none of them fell flat on their face running to first base.

Although his athletic heroics didn't occur until the final moments, Owen proved that even though he is not all that good at softball, his attitude and will were enough to inspire his employees. Yes, the Big O fell down as he attempted to reach first base, but as he so dramatically came to his feet, the rest of the sales and servicemen from Thoreau began to put in more effort for their boss.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Men of a Certain Age, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 209 - "A League of Their Owen"

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2011 Poolies- Best of the Rest (Drama)

Question: Which do you like better, Christmas or Poolies Season? Answer: Ummm, Poolies Season. Get psyched because the Quiet Pool Television Awards are back and better than ever. All the votes are in, but as we wait for a few guest posts to come in, we here at the Pool will spend some time recognizing a few shows and characters that didn't quite make the ballot this year.

The Dynasty Award For Best Drama Series

The Best of the Rest: Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
This is not just a shameless plug to the fact that I am review this series for TV Fanatic this summer. The Ray Romano drama has been great when it is on. It suffered this Poolies Season due to the fact that TNT chose to split its 12 episode season into two six-ep installments. Hard to nominate this series on half a season. Californication (Showtime), Shameless (Showtime), One Tree Hill (The CW), and Glee (FOX) make up the others that didn't quite make the cut.

The Dr. Doug Ross Award For Best Lead Character in a Drama

The Best of the Rest: Vincent Chase (Entourage)
In what was a bounce back season for Entourage, Vinny's fall from grace was a big reason for why I enjoyed it once again. I love when a character goes from someone I detest to someone I really like watching on screen. Whether it was doing mountains of cocaine, or simply chilling with his porn star girlfriend, Vinny was awesome this season. Julian Baker (One Tree Hill), Antoine Batiste (Treme), Joe Tranelli (Men of a Certain Age), and Johnny Leary (Lights Out) make up the others that didn't quite make the cut.

The Noah Hunter Award For Best Supporting Character in a Drama

The Best of the Rest: Ed Romeo (Lights Out)
Like many of those that missed out on a nomination, Ed Romeo suffered from lack of screen time. In his first episode as the scary new trainer of "Lights" Leary, Ed Romeo kept my eyes glued to the screen with his unique techniques in training Patrick. It was only an episode later though, that Romeo left the show because Patrick needed to bring his beloved father back into the fold. How dumb was that? Joel Graham (Parenthood), Beaver Beudreaux (Greek), Billy Riggins (Friday Night Lights), and Chuck Scholnik (One Tree Hill) make up the others that didn't quite make the cut.

The Veronica Mars Award For Best Female Character in a Drama

The Best of the Rest: Santana Lopez (Glee)
It came down to Brittany or Santana in who was going to get the nomination from Glee in the category. Both have had great moments this season, but in the end, the dumb blonde made it in over the sultry Santana. Her hatred for most of the other people in the Glee club, and her unadulterated love of Brittany were some of the only great moments of a show that has gone extremely down hill, extremely fast. Savannah Munroe (Hellcats), Rebecca Logan (Greek), Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill), and Lexi Grey (Grey's Anatomy) make up the others that didn't quite make the cut.

The Marissa Cooper Award For the Character You Love to Hate in a Drama

The Best of the Rest: Haddie Braverman (Parenthood)
Haddie had quite a run going as she tried to run off with Vince from Friday Night Lights. Every time she got into a screaming match with her mom, I couldn't help but feel the need to slap her across the face. Lucky for Haddie though, her cousin Amber trumped her terribleness with a fantastically difficult to watch end of the season. I don't think she had a single scene in the second half of the season in which she wasn't crying or yelling. So be thankful for family Haddie. Artie Abrams (Glee), Quinn James (One Tree Hill), Dixon Wilson (90210), and Marcy Runkle (Californication) make up the others that didn't quite make the cut.

Stay tuned for the Best of the Rest from Comedy and Action this 2010-11 season.

Men of a Certain Age 208 Review- Get It Together

Owen- "You can't take away a guy's sale because he's a d**k. Otherwise you'd still have zero."

Owen Thoreau has his life together.

After "The Pickup," though, the same cannot be said about either Joe Tranelli or Terry Elliott. At some points, the Big O was mostly laughing at the troubles of his employee, but at the end of the day he came through as a friend and helped pick Terry up by his boot straps.

Terry has never really handled adversity very well, but his antics here might have taken the cake. It's absolutely understandable to be in a funk after what Erin did to him. But going from melancholy, to adventurous, to stoned, to sexy time, to depressed, to mean and finally giving up... it sure isn't healthy.

That's not to say it wasn't fun watching him pick up the 20-something caterer at his own 50th birthday party. Nor was it less than hilarious seeing him wake up in what was most likely her dorm room, and even if it wasn't, then the magazine cutouts on her wall sure made it seem like one.

Terry's antics at work were also some of the funniest of the episode; from blatantly stealing Marcus' client, to sleeping in one of the cars on the lot, and finally losing it by backing a show car up into Marcus while he was trying to make a sale. The reaction from Marcus - punching Terry in the face a few times - was fantastic. Nothing like a little workplace violence.

To read the rest of my review of last Wednesday's Men of a Certain Age, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 208 - "The Pickup"
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Men of a Certain Age 207 Review- Just a Fling

Manfro- "I don't wanna hear this s**t my last night with hair."

The best scenes in Men of a Certain Age come when the three leads - Ray Romano, Scott Bakula, and Andre Braugher - get to interact with each other. While"The Great Escape" didn't give us a lot of that, the final moments with Terry and Owen listening to Joe's story in the diner was exactly what this show is all about.

It's three guys working their way through life at that "Certain Age" and having a couple of friends with whom to do it. As is the case most days, all three of had some heavy stuff going on, and it was really nice to see Joe's friends be there for him in the end.

As the title states, there was a lot of escaping going on. Owen is potentially escaping from the iron fist of his father, Terry escaped from what turned out to be a sham of a relationship, and Joe narrowly escaped making things extremely confusing between him and his ex-wife.

Romano is what has kept me loving this show, and that didn't change with his performance here. Between his inability to figure out what he wanted to do with the Sonia situation and his ability to help quasi-friend Manfro through his trying times with cancer, Joe was once again a joy to watch.

To read the rest of my first ever review of Men of a Certain Age, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 207 - "The Great Escape"
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Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

If you haven't noticed already, I have been extremely busy in the months of April and May. With the end of the baseball season, the end of the spring semester, and a couple of week-long pop-ins at my place, I have been beyond slow on the blog at times. That is no excuse to not put out a Bi-Monthly Power Rankings, though, so without further ado, here are the Quiet Pool Perspective Television Power Rankings for the month of May.

Show- (last time)...red= moving down, green= moving up

90210- (-) Mondays on The CW
Adrianna Tate-Duncan is absolutely killing it in the role of evil vixen on the season of the zip code drama.

The Borgias- (-) Sundays on Showtime
Jeremy Irons and the show in general may be a bit disappointing, but it is still worth a look.

Camelot- (-) Fridays on Starz
The re-imagination of the story of Arthur has been decent so far, if only for the work of Joseph Fiennes (or the dude from Flash Forward as I know him).

CMT's Next Superstar- (-) Fridays on CMT
Living in Music City this was a necessary watch for me, and if you like country music, it is for you too.

Game of Thrones- (-) Sundays on HBO
The only reason this isn't already in the top twenty is because there have only been three episodes. You will be sure to find it amongst the best come July.

Happy Endings- (-) Wednesdays on ABC
Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy Happy Endings. Of all the new sitcoms as of late, I have it only behind Perfect Couples.

The Killing- (-) Sundays on AMC
Zzzzzzzz...oh sorry I was sleeping. Seriously though, this is well directed and acted, but the writing has left something to be desired, and it couldn't be less exciting.

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Wednesdays on TNT
I just received word that I will be reviewing the Ray Romano series for TV Fanatic this summer, so there is my shameless plug of the week.

Top Chef- (19) Wednesdays on Bravo
Maybe I am getting Top Cheffed out. As one season leads right into the next, it is getting a little tiresome.

The Voice- (-) Tuesdays on NBC
The first episode was fantastic! The new twist on the singing competition show was greatly welcomed. Then the second episode produced much worse talent, and a new format that already seemed a bit played out.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Even though most prime time television has been on hold for the holidays, and I've been watching The Santa Clause 2 for most of December, that doesn't mean things don't change in the Quiet Pool Perspective's Bi-Monthly Power Rankings. My first ever post on this blog was the Pre-Season TV Power Rankings in September of 2007. Three series from the top ten on that list are currently in the top ten as we begin 2011. As always, the January edition of the Pool's Power Rankings take into account both past and current performance. I am not a prisoner of the moment, but I do take the current state of a series into account. Enjoy and feel free to disagree with me, as I know most of you do.

We begin, per the usual, with the honorable mentions. These shows are not my ten favorites after the top 20, but rather a list of shows I feel deserve a mention as we head into the next two months of tv watching. Whether they have improved, gotten worse, or are merely returning from a long hiatus and thus need to be talked about, these shows are getting a mention at the Pool.

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

30 Rock- (12) Thursdays on NBC
I was definitely a little too quick on the draw, moving 30 Rock up to 12 back in November, but I may be a little too harsh dropping it off the list completely this time around. It has been better than last season, but still not as good as the other three NBC comedies (no, I'm not counting Outsourced). 30 Rock returns on Thursday, January 20 at 10:00 PM.

The Amazing Race- (-) Sundays on CBS

Flight Time and Big Easy on Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is a great show to have on while you're doing something else. And this season should be better than normal for a couple of reasons. First, it will finally be making the move to HD, and second, it is an All-Star season. Many of your favorite contestants are back, including the Globetrotters and the Cowboys. The Amazing Race returns Sunday, February 20 at 8:00 PM.

Archer- (-) Thursdays on FX
Archer has received plenty of critical acclaim since its first season premiered sometime last year. It is not my favorite comedy out there, or even my favorite animated series, but there are definitely some good bits every now and again. Archer returns on Thursday, January 27 at 10:00 PM.

Greek- (-) Mondays on ABC Family
In the next couple of days here, Greek will begin airing its final season. While it is not of the same popularity or quality of a show like Lost, I am glad that it took the same strategy of ending on its own accord. Since they knew that this would be the end for our friends at Cyprus Rhodes, let's hope everything cleans up nicely by the time it finishes. Greek returns on Monday, January 3 at 9:00 PM.

Hannah Montana- (-) Sundays on Disney Channel
This is epic people. If wikipedia is correct, there are only two episodes left in the history of Hannah Montana. After that, the only time we'll get to see Miley Cyrus is when she's taking bong hits on TMZ. She's already told the world her secret, so where will the two part series finale, titled "Wherever I Go", take Miley Stewart and the rest of the gang? Hannah Montana returns on Sunday, January 9 at 8:00 PM.

Human Target- (-) Wednesdays on FOX

Cast of Human Target

I am still two episodes behind on Human Target, which proves that I can't be THAT in love with it, but it still deserves to be given a chance (if you watch the show, you'll get the pun in there). If you like action, you will like Human Target. Now that former Chuck writer Matt Miller is in charge, I see this second season taking a step up in both comedy and overall story. Human Target returns on Wednesday, January 5 at 8:00 PM.

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Mondays on TNT
Sometimes I have a difficult time deciding if Men of a Certain Age is great television or something is just there. It can be a bit boring at times, but the characters are so very rich that it is tough to look away. Ray Romano continues to shine in the lead role of Joe Tranelli, but Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula have yet to live up to the billing I gave them before the series started. Men of a Certain Age continues Monday, January 3 at 10:00 PM.

Nikita- (-) Thursdays on The CW
I am definitely a few eps behind on Nikita as well. There is nothing about this show that is making me tune in every week, but when I have some down time it is a pleasant enough show to stick on the tube for 45 minutes. If you can get past Shane West's Batman-esque voice then it is enjoyable. Maggie Q definitely isn't what people were playing her up to be, but Lyndsy Fonseca's Alex has more than made up for it. Nikita returns Thursday, January 27 at 9:00 PM.

The Ricky Gervais Show- (-) Fridays on HBO

Animated Ricky Gervais and crew

Karl Pilkington is a buffoon. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant laugh at his ridiculous stories. If this sounds remotely interesting to you, then you'll love The Ricky Gervais Show. Taken straight from Gervais's podcast, the show puts the three guys in animation and uses the cartoons to give pictures to Karl's wacky stories. The Ricky Gervais Show returns on Friday, January 14 at 9:00 PM.

The Sing Off- (-) Winters on NBC
The Sing Off got a ratings bump in its second season, and why not? It has a great format and a ton of great talent. While Ben Folds didn't live up to his first season excellence as judge, the second season of the a capella show was still fantastic. It's short. It's sweet. The Sing Off doesn't drag on and on like American Idol. It gets you the music and gets out. Nobody gets hurt. The Sing Off may or may not return next December.

Also fallen out of the Top 20...The Event (20) and Terriers (Cancelled)

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Since many shows are on hiatus during the summer, and I am getting ready to leave for an LA vacation (writing this on Sunday), I'm only going to post a few notes on each series. The honorable mentions are some shows that I watch that don't currently make my top 20. They're not necessarily 21-30, but I enjoy them and others should think about checking them out. Without further ado, here are July's Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

30 Rock- (12) Thursdays on NBC
The TGSers seem to really be falling out of good graces at the Pool as 30 Rock falls from 13th to honorable mention after a strangely bad season.

Eastbound and Down- (-) Sundays on HBO
The Danny McBride comedy finally has a second season premiere date. Kenny Powers will return to the screens, where he's always f'ing in, on September 26th on HBO.

Greek- (-) Mondays on ABC Family
Cappie and company are on what I believe will be a quick hiatus. Greek returns for a fourth and final installment before the end of the summer.

Hung- (-) Sundays on HBO
I'm not a big fan of the HBO quasi-comedy, but since I'm writing about it for TVFanatic.com, I figured I'd give it a quick plug here.

Jonas LA- (19) Sundays on Disney Channel
The reinvention for season two takes a dip in comedy but the corny drama is still really good.

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Mondays on TNT
Ray Romano is getting Emmy buzz for his dramatic role as Joe Tranelli, and deservedly so.

Mentalist, The- (16) Thursdays on CBS
The procedural is losing no steam in terms of ratings, but for personally I'd like to see a bit more serialization here.

Persons Unknown- (-) Mondays on NBC
The first three episodes have been decent to good. It's a nice summer thriller if not nearly on par with last season's Harper's Island.

Ricky Gervais Show, The- (-) Sundays on HBO
Probably just as good as a podcast, but the added animation puts it at the top of my animated series list. Can't beat Ricky's laugh.

Top Chef- (-) Wednesdays on Bravo
Quality reality competition currently airing this season from D.C.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Now that the Olympics are over many of our favorite shows are set to return. Plenty of new shows are also on the horizon. Let's see where The Perspective's Power Rankings stacks everyone up. January and February brought back plenty of series in the Top 20, including perennial number one LOST. I've also caught myself all the way up on a couple of cable gems (Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad) so things might look a bit different near the top this time around. A few shows that have missed the cut (Bored to Death, V, Eastbound) not because of failure to entertain, but for lack of episodes and too much time off. Without further ado here are the shows you should be watching, The Quiet Pool Perspective's March Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

Californication- (HM) Sundays on Showtime
Hank Moody and crew have been off since the last rankings but will return for a fourth season sometime in September. Here's hoping Sue Collini is no longer a part of the show.

Dexter- (-) Sundays on Showtime
I am currently halfway through the second season of this serial criminal action series, but I've seen enough to recommend it to anyone. I've heard that the most recent season four was very good and co-starred John Lithgow.

Gary Unmarried- (-) Wednesdays on CBS
It's obvious. It's corny. It's on CBS. Having said that, it's still entertaining. Jay Mohr is over the top, but his kid Tommy is subtly hilarious.

Glee- (HM) Wednesdays on FOX
Rachel Berry and the rest of the gang won't return from their mega long winter hiatus until April. Maybe they've had enough time to figure out what about this show works well and what doesn't (any drama having to do with Mr. Shue).

Gossip Girl- (HM) Mondays on The CW
Returning this month, let's hope that the loss of a couple of great guest stars in the fall, especially Hillary Duff, won't make the spring session of the teen drama falter.

Greek- (20) Mondays on ABC Family
The spring session of the college series has been subpar so far. For as much as I want to see Cappie and Casey together I feel like they would've been better off to leave it for the series finale. They're making it kind of bland for now.

House, MD- (HM) Mondays on FOX
As I've said, House is House. I'll continue to watch it for Gregory himself, but other than his interactions with different characters there's nothing else really going on here.

JONAS- (HM) Sundays on Disney Channel
The comedy will start back up for its second season this summer. How are they going to work Joe's new haircut into the story of the season?

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Mondays on TNT
Sure it is painfully slow at times, but the work of Ray Romano and Andre Braugher has been fantastic. It's hard to find better tv than Detective Frank Pembleton stuffing his face with Fiddle Faddles in the middle of the night.

Wizards of Waverly Place- (18) Fridays on Disney Channel
This show has the perfect combination of characters in my opinion. Between Alex's overall hatred toward everything, Max and Jerry's inability to take anything seriously, Justin's complete nerdiness and the mom's stern hand, it all just works.

Men of a Certain Age- Romano Gives Series Promise

Here's the thing...Why did I go into this series premier with such high hopes? It's a drama on TNT. Oh that's right, because it had Andre Baugher and Scott Bakula in it. I never was a big fan of Everybody Loves Raymond so the fact that Ray Romano was also a lead didn't get me too excited. After the episode ended, my first thought was that Romano was easily the best part about the show.

Men of a Certain Age is a drama about three guys that have been friends since college and are now getting through life in their later years. Romano plays Joe. He's in the recently divorced or in the middle of a divorce, owns a party store, and is addicted to gambling. Braugher plays Owen. He's married with kids, has some health issues and works for his father at a car dealership. Bakula plays Terry. The playboy type, somewhat of an aspiring actor that temps in the meantime.

Throughout the first episode we see the three guys go hiking and eat together, but we also see them dealing with the stresses of their daily lives on their own. While every moment Romano was on the screen it was enjoyable, every Andre Braugher scene was disappointing. I never really watched Homicide, but always heard great things, but I loved him in Passing Glory and his recent short stint on House. I know it was only one episode, but he only had one moment where I enjoyed his character. It was the hip check to the young salesman, knocking him into the water cooler. Hopefully that will be where the character heads in the future.

Although it was interesting and a bit funny at times, the drama was lacking and it was pretty slow moving. If it weren't the series premier I can imagine I would've been a bit more bored. Instead I was continually curious as to where it was going to go. I guess there are some positives to a pilot episode. Anyway I'm going to continue to check it out since we are getting into the holiday television break, but I was not seriously impressed.