Wilfred 213 Review - What Do You See?

The exceptional quality of Wilfred Season 2 has been well documented by me right here at TV Fanatic over the course of past few months. It has been hilarious, both heart-warming and depressing at times, and about as thought provoking as a comedy can be.

While the finale produced its fair share of laughs - Kristen telling Ryan's friend to "get a feel" for her baby, and Wilfred's admission that Amazon.com's one-click shopping makes things very easy were a couple of my favorites - in true season-ending fashion "Secrets" was more about the bigger picture.

Before getting to Ryan and his pretty picture, let's attempt to dissect Amanda's actions, figuring out if they may tell us something about this world we've been watching for two seasons now.

I had no idea what to expect when Ryan actually admitted to her that he and Wilfred "talk to each other." My stomach went up into my chest a little bit because I was so nervous about what was going to come next. When Amanda said she did it too, I didn't know what to think.

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

Wilfred 312 Review - The Co-Ring Bearer

Ryan: "Are you telling me you've never smelled another dog on Jenna's hands?"

Wilfred: "Well yeah but that's just from her pushing other dogs away."

Ryan Newman may have done the most adult thing in his life on "Resentment." He offered to put on a wedding for the girl on whom he has crushed for the last two years, along with her obnoxiously funny fiancé.

He began this week's Wilfred by doing anything and everything he could to avoid even going to said wedding, but by the end of the half hour he was not only a part of the party, he also accepted the responsibility that comes with putting on Jenna and Drew's big event.

Seeing Ryan act so grown-up was heart-warming. And if it was only a stepping stone to him having the courage to make up with Amanda, I'm okay with that too. Like Ryan, I've missed her.

Although there was plenty of drama to go around this week, we first tune into Wilfred for the laughs... and there were a lot during "Resentment." Drew came back from his bachelor party chock full of classic new nicknames (Ry-cironi and Jenna-ration X) and stoned-out questions about the possibility of Wilfred talking. He was welcomed back with open arms.

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

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.

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.

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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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"
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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.

Wilfred 206 Review- The Legend of Rex and Lady

Wilfred- "I brought dessert! I found it in the most charming little French bakery's dumpster."

Wilfred is the best comedy of the summer, and "Control" was a perfect example of why. It wasn't the funniest episode of this second season, but there were so many humorous and interesting things going on during the half hour that it was tough not to smile throughout.

Sure, you have to enjoy the awkward or the dark, like every interaction between Amanda and Jenna, or Wilfred's entire affair with a drunken Bear, but that's what Wilfred is about. That's why we love it.

Wilfred's long-winded tale about Rex and Lady was absolutely hilarious. The way that Jason Gann worked in the old "this story is actually about me" bit was perfect. I never saw it coming, and because neither Wilfred nor Ryan made a big deal about his mess up, the joke was even funnier. Calling back to it later on with Drew missing his Lady put the whole thing over the top.

At the end of his story though, Wilfred made the point to Ryan that "You can't control relationships. You have to let things happen naturally." Of course Ryan didn't understand that concept until the end of the episode, and thank God, because his lack of understanding made for quite a few hilarious situations.

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

Wilfred 206 - "Control"
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Wilfred 205 Review- Live In The Now!

Wilfred- "There's darkness everywhere Ryan. You just can't see because the sun is such an attention whore."

Wilfred seemed to cover the entire spectrum of emotions, while Jason Gann played each one of them perfectly in this week's episode of Wilfred. Ryan, on the other hand, went from constantly looking towards the future to caring much more about the here and "Now."

I've written about the different characters Wilfred has seemingly taken on this season (idolizing little brother, stand-up comic, etc.), but this time the dog didn't stick to one shtick. He was ever changing, and it was fascinating to watch.

First he just wanted to live in the now, smelling every gross thing within reach of his nostrils. He then lost his smell due to a trauma, and couldn't handle those pesky thoughts messing around in his brain. Once he figured out how to channel those new thoughts, Wilfred became a book reading intellectual.

No, not the books you’re thinking of. You know the ones. The books with pictures...that move...and have sound...and have Matt Damon in them...and in the middle of the movie Matt Damon is like (makes gun noises). Not that kind of book.

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

Wilfred 205 - "Now"
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Wilfred 204 Review- Dogs vs. Babies, Who Ya Got?

Wilfred- "How many innocent babies have to survive before we put an end to this senseless nurturing?"

Sometimes Wilfred takes things a bit too far and ends up feeling guilty. Luckily for him, dogs can only feel guilt for a maximum of five seconds. Luckily for us, "Guilt" used that made up fact by its main character to execute a perfect call back at a major climax in the story to serve as the backbone of another great episode of Wilfred's hilarious second season.

Wilfy - as Jenna, Drewish Community Center and I call him - spent a majority of "Guilt" enthralled with the apparent war between dogs and babies over who is cuter. His actions towards Kristen's unborn child, which included trying to vacuum it out and sticking Kristen's voo doo doll in the belly, were pretty terrible.

He was partaking in these awful acts towards the baby for so long that when Wilfred finally came around to feeling guilty about it, I had forgotten about the five second rule. When his watch timer went off, reminding me of his clever rule for dogs, I absolutely lost it.

This war, and Wilfy's obsession with it, also gave us the hilarity of him naming off the fake battles between dogs and babies, and talking about the "brave, dead soldiers of the Babies R Us parking lot."

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

Wilfred 204 - "Guilt"
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Wilfred 203 Review- Are You Not Entertained?

Wilfred- "Is anyone else concerned that there's a stale half-eaten Wheat Thin under this desk?"

Wilfred continued its strong second season with an episode that obviously made us laugh, but it also contained a number of sincere moments that allowed viewers to seriously root for Ryan Newman's success.

Whether it was wanting him to build up the courage to stand up to his boss, and in some way his father, or wanting him and new love interest Amanda to build on their budding relationship, fans had plenty of avenues to get behind Ryan in "Dignity."

The shipper in me was much more interested in seeing Ryan and Amanda get to an actual date.While a drink at happy hour will have to suffice for the time being, the chemistry between these two is pouring out so profusely that it will surely be no time before we get to watch them huff keyboard cleaner together.

Maybe it's just the radiating charm of Allison Mack (I've never seen Smallville so I'm not all that familiar with her previous work), but this coupling seems much more natural than Ryan and Jenna. Jenna is awesome, and so is Fiona Gubelmann for that matter, but it never seemed to click like Rymanda has in the past couple of episodes.

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

Wilfred 203 - "Dignity"
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Wilfred 202 Review- Little Bro

Ryan- "Was he pissed off about something?"

Wilfred- "Drew drives hard. Dude's confident behind the wheel."

I have now watched "Letting Go" four times, and it never stops being hilarious. Where last week's preview episode gave viewers the strange but brilliant side of Wilfred, this season premiere was just flat out funny.

Repeatability is key for comedies, not so much in ratings, but when I'm thinking of the funniest series of all time, the ones I will remember are those that were watched over and over again. If Wilfred can continue to produce the redundancy it achieved with "Letting Go," it could become an all-time great show.

Jason Gann knocked it out of the park again, this time turning Wilfred into a little brother type of character, whose sole purpose in life (at least for this 21 minutes) was to make Drewwwwish Community Center proud of him.

Every aspect of Drew's personality that Wilfred replicated was done with such perfection by Gann that it was hard not to crack up every time the dog hit the screen. The nicknames were fantastic - my favorite being the community center bit because of Wilfred's enthusiasm about it - but it was him turning into a complete bro that made the episode.

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

Wilfred 202 - "Letting Go"
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Wilfred 201 Review- Getting Your Chinas Crossed

Ryan- "How'd you get this van?"

Wilfred- "We hot-china'd it."

Wilfred is one of the best shows on television, and the second season premiere proved that once again. It is an absolutely hilarious comedy that mixes in intense dramatic and suspenseful moments with a great long-running mysterious plot that makes the viewer question every single thing that is happening on screen.

"Progress" was a magnificent return for Wilfred, as the 21 minutes really felt like the climax of a major motion picture, with all of cutting back and forth between dream and reality. A ton of credit should go to Randall Einhorn who did a great job directing, causing me to constantly wonder what was real and what wasn't.

Not only was the main theme of dream vs. reality responsible for some unbelievably dramatic moments - like Ryan getting taken in for electric shock therapy or the getaway scene in which he finally realized the meeting was actually real life - but it also created some of the funniest scenes I've witnessed in a while.

As the hospital moments began getting stranger and stranger, with the lightning making Robin Williams' face even more creepy and the flickering of the lights every second, you had to know something big was coming.

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

Wilfred 201 - "Progress"
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Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant.  As always, these rankings take into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred well in the past.  We now move onto those ranked 20 through 11.

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

20. Top Chef (-, 18) Wednesdays on Bravo
It wasn't the best season that Top Chef recently finished, but you can never go wrong with sitting down to a nice and easy episode of this cooking classic.  If the unbelievably annoying Sarah hadn't made it to the final three, this reality competition might have made its way even further up the rankings.

19. Wilfred (16, 16) Thursdays on FX
This strange comedy returns to television screens in less than two months, premiering its second season on June 28.  Jason Gann and Elijah Wood were terrific in the first season, with the former putting forth one of my favorite individual performances of the year.

18. The River (HM, 18) Tuesdays on ABC
In all likelihood, with the below average ratings it continually brought in, The River was probably a single season endeavor.  It was a pretty good season though.  The eight episode run made it possible to keep things tight and not bore the audience at all, while the mystery always kept me guessing.

How long could this mockumentary go on with The River?

17. Survivor (14, 14) Wednesdays on CBS
While I still find it as the top reality show in the game, Survivor takes a bit of a drop due to the severe lack of talent on this year's cast.  Thanks to the fact that the women have taken control of the game, we are probably in for a mediocre end to the season, especially since the lone entertaining dude - Troyzan - is out the door.

16. Shameless (18, 16) Sundays on Showtime
Even though the show found a way to ruin my favorite first season character - Lip - Frank and Kevin made such great strides in season two that Shameless continues to climb up the Power Rankings.  Now that I'm thinking of it, Frank's ex, his mom, Sheila, and Ian all were absolutely worthless as well.  Maybe I didn't like this season as much as I thought I did.

15. Parenthood (15, 13) Tuesdays on NBC
I feel like it has been forever since Parenthood has been on the air, and I've wanted to slap Jabbar across the face.  Do I just have too much hate built up right now?  There ARE characters on these shows that I enjoy.  Adam, Max, and Joel are a fantastic trio on Parenthood.  If they could find a way to get Sam Jaeger more screen time, this show could be in contention of the Top Ten.

14. 30 Rock (17, 2) Thursdays on NBC
Maybe I am still on a high from the great live show last week, which introduced us all to this instant classic - "Alfie and Abner" - but I think 30 Rock is having itself a fine season.  If Tina Fey could only figure out to write her own character in a way that didn't make me want to throw up so much, this comedy could make it back to the top of the heap.



13. Boardwalk Empire (13, 12) Sundays on HBO
Nothing much to see here as Boardwalk won't return again until this fall.  The HBO drama concluded its season in fine fashion, not unlike the similarly loved Breaking Bad.  It's just too bad that neither can figure out a way to start its seasons the way they end them.

12. Mad Men (10, 3) Sundays on AMC
Mad Men is great and all, but a conversation I had with T-Time recently helped me understand why it will never be in the same league as the top dramas on television.  The stakes are just never as high, and nothing ever seems as important as what goes on during an episode of Justified or Game of Thrones.  That's not to say that you need murders to make a show fascinating, but it is just the scope of everything that is happening just seems a bit trivial.

11. The Vampire Diaries (11, 11) Thursdays on The CW
The CW's lone hit has continued its success this season.  To go along with non-stop action, unlimited twists and turns, and some great romance among its characters, The Vampire Diaries benefits from what I have discovered is the best looking cast on television.  Top to Bottom, male and female, TVD's cast is the best looking, and I'm not sure how close it is.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

For my 81st post of the day, here are shows 20 through 11 of the March Power Rankings.

Place. Show (Last Time) red=moving down, green=moving up

20. Dexter (17) Sundays on Showtime
I'm still holding out hope that this awful season, and the anticlimactic reveal at the end of it, haven't ruined the series completely.

19. Big Brother (-) Summers on CBS
I've missed this summer series so much that it makes its way back into the top 20.  As annoyed as I get by its contestants, it's still more interesting than most of the competitions on tv.

18. Shameless (-) Sundays on Showtime
The increased role for Steve Howey as Kevin has me thoroughly enjoying season two.

17. 30 Rock (-) Thursdays on NBC
It's been a long time since this laugher has made the power rankings, but a back-to-form sixth season will do that for you.  Jenna Maroney has been on point this year.

16. Wilfred (16) Thursdays on FX
The second season premiere date of June 28 already has me excited to watch my favorite man in a dog suit this summer.

15. Parenthood (13) Tuesdays on NBC
It hasn't gotten me as emotional as of late, but I always enjoy sitting down to watch the Bravermans.  I nice guest appearance by Kadeem Hardison a couple weeks ago didn't hurt either.

14. Survivor (15) Wednesdays on CBS
This season looks to be as good as ever, with a bunch of dudes taking out the chicks one-by-one...well except for the women winning this week.

13. Boardwalk Empire (14) Sundays on HBO
It won't return for a while, and with that finale, it's going to be tough to wait.

12. Fringe (HM) Fridays on FOX
I am still angry that I gave up on this show after seven episodes in season one.  I'm glad that I made my way back though.  It's been a fun ride, and I really hope it doesn't get cancelled this year.

11. The Vampire Diaries (12) Thursdays on The CW
The only bad thing about this underrated show is the fact that it takes such long breaks sometimes.  I wish all shows would use the cable formula of running straight through a season with no breaks.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

I recently finished listing all of my favorite shows of the year, but what about now? What shows that are still on the air are the series you all should be watching? Well that's what the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are for. In the first rankings of 2012, we will recognize the shows that have been succeeding as of late, and some that will be returning to our screens for the first time in a while this winter. Next up are spots 20 through 11 on my list.

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

20. The Walking Dead (11) Sundays on AMC
I had a difficult time keeping The Walking Dead inside the Top 20 after its horrendous fall run. They aired seven episodes of action that easily could have been done in three. This, of course, led to an extremely slow pace, and not a lot of interesting material. Also, I still haven't found a character that I enjoy.

19. The Office (12) Thursdays on NBC
The Office has not been good in its first season without Steve Carell, but it also hasn't been all that bad. Even though most write it off as awful while touting the much worse Parks and Recreation, it has been much better than expected this year. If they can figure out how to work Ed Helms out of the starring role, The Office has a chance to stay in the Top 20.

18. Revenge (HM) Wednesdays on ABC
It's so very soapy, but Revenge has been extremely fun to start the year. It's refreshing not seeing Emily Van Camp complaining every second after those last few years on Brothers and Sisters. The back half of this first season is going to have to go somewhere interesting to keep Revenge in the running for a top spot.

17. Dexter (9) Sundays on Showtime
I don't know what was worse, the terrible imaginary killer story line in which the imaginary character did non-imaginary things, the terrible Deb story line in which she seemingly fell in love with her brother, or the terrible moment to end the season when they wasted an epic moment in the series with an absolutely non-dramatic scene. I have faith that next season will be interesting though.

16. Wilfred (18) Thursdays on FX
Since June, very few have recorded comedic acting performances like Jason Gann had over the first 12 episodes of Wilfred. As long as series like The Office and Modern Family keep heading in the wrong direction, Wilfred's first season looks more and more like one of the best comedies of the year.

15. Survivor (20) Wednesdays on CBS
This move up in the rankings is more of a reflection on its competitors than on Survivor itself. This season was very good, but so many series (Dexter, Walking Dead) took nose dives that this reality giant moves up by default. With any luck the next season of Survivor will not feature Redemption Island, and will not feature a Hantz showdown.

14. Boardwalk Empire (17) Sundays on HBO
As slow-moving as the second season was for a majority of the time, it did feature one of my favorite episodes of the year. The season finale was so rewarding that it made up for some lackluster moments early on. They really went for it, and the story they decided to tell in year two was brilliant.

13. Parenthood (15) Tuesdays on NBC
The family drama never stops for the Bravermans. At this point I'm really curious what they're going to do with some of these child actors as they begin to grow up. It is already becoming glaringly obvious that Jabar is ridiculously obnoxious. He was fine as a tiny kid, but as an older one, he's brutal. Less screen time for him would be preferable.

12. The Vampire Diaries (13) Thursdays on The CW
Nobody does the cliff hanger like Vampire Diaries. Well nobody does it as often. After marathon-ing my way through the first two seasons, the third has gotten off to a quality start with Joseph Morgan stealing the show thus far.

11. Happy Endings (14) Wednesdays on ABC
This ABC comedy has become a must watch on Wednesday nights. This gang has gelled in ways that not many casts do. Adam Pally is excellent, and it has three funny females, a feat almost never achieved. Who would have thought that The Girl Next Door would be one of the funniest women on tv?

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

It's that time again. The Quiet Pool Perspective's Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are back, and a lot has happened since early September here at the Pool. The Weekly Comedy Rankings have been working so well at helping gauge what shows are doing well on a week by week basis, that I might try to start doing the same thing with the other categories. For now, here are the November Power Rankings. Remember these take into account past and present performances, and the Honorable Mentions are not necessarily numbers 21 through 30 on my list. Enjoy.

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

20. Survivor (17) Wednesdays on CBS
The quality of scripted television severely outweighs that of reality competitions that Survivor is the only one holding it down for the latter, hanging on to the number 20 spot this time around. This season has been interesting so far. It's nice to see Coach back in the mix, I've really enjoyed the introduction of Cochran, and there a few contestants I love to hate already. All in all, it's a good mix.

19. Modern Family (15) Wednesdays on ABC
Things started out well in this third season, making me think that the second season slump was just that, a slump. Recently, though, Modern Family has reverted back to some of its season two habits that had me wondering where the first year magic had gone. Luke and Phil Dunphy are the only ones holding it down these days. They are both hilarious, but no one else really is all that great anymore.

18. Wilfred (HM) Thursdays on FX
It took the descent of a number of other comedies to move Wilfred up the rankings. Jason Gann's title character has been the funniest thing on television this season. The rest of the show had its ups and downs, but they were mostly up, which is why Wilfred makes it way into the Top 20. Not many comedies can make you laugh out loud consistently while also making you question what in the world you're doing with you life. Wilfred does.

17. Boardwalk Empire (14) Sundays on HBO
The HBO drama has been moving slowly in its second season, but it's still very interesting. Jaydon told me earlier this year that I need shows to be entertaining more than interesting. I think the combination of both makes a show fantastic. It's what Lost was best at. It's what the second half of this most recent season of Breaking Bad was great at. Boardwalk has yet to find the right balance.

16. Homeland (-) Sundays on Showtime
Talk about a great start to a series! Only five episodes have aired thus far and it is already at number 16 in the rankings! I question how well they will be able to succeed in a second season, but the ride in the early going has been one of the best I've seen in a while. Homeland is basically a trillionaire's Rubicon. Rubicon wishes that on its best day it could have been a dead homeless man's worst episode of Homeland.

15. Parenthood (19) Tuesdays on NBC
Parenthood has been on a good run as of late (yet to watch this week's episode) mostly because Haddie and Amber have had much less screen time than a year ago. When they continue to highlight Adam, Zeek, Max, and Joel, Parenthood is doing its best work.

14. Happy Endings (HM) Wednesdays on ABC
At this very moment...11:24 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, 2011...Happy Endings may be the show I most look forward to watching every week. I enjoyed it when it first aired last season to an extent, it continued to grow on me as the season went on, and by the time the second season came around I was sold. It has been between Always Sunny and Happy Endings for the best comedy of the fall thus far, and I might go with the latter by a slight margin.

13. The Vampire Diaries (18) Thursdays on The CW
Before the last episode with all the ghosts I would have been shouting from a rooftop for you to watch Vampire Diaries. Even with that most recent dud, this show is still fantastic. It's non-stop excitement, as they are never afraid to change the game or throw eight cliff hangers into one hour long episode. The addition of Joseph Morgan's Klaus has only added to the stellar cast of characters on this show.

12. The Office (4) Thursdays on NBC
When you lose the funniest character on television from last year (proven by Michael Scott's Poolie in June), you are sure to take a hit. If this was solely on current performance, The Office wouldn't make the Top 20, but being in the Top 10 for so long, and rising as high as fourth at the end of last year, will make it difficult to knock this long time favorite from its perch. Ed Helms is failing miserably in the lead role, and James Spader has brought almost nothing to the cast. Thankfully, Dwight, Jim and a number of the supporting players have kept their performances high.

11. The Walking Dead (11) Sundays on AMC
Those who complained about The Walking Dead's first season being too quick and action packed (notable critics) are probably loving this season of Walking Dead. I, on the other hand, loved the first season, and am therefore having issues with season two. It's just going at a much slower pace, with a whole lot less happening in each episode. It also doesn't help that I don't enjoy any of the characters. Give me someone to root for. Even Rick, who I want to like, does absolutely nothing for me.

Wilfred 113 Review- Will Power

Wilfred- "I don't know what you're up to Ryan, but I've got my nose and ears on you...and my eyes too, I guess, but frankly my vision's pretty sh*tty."

Who are you? What are you? Why are you?

Ryan asked these questions of Wilfred during a fit of hysteria in "Identity," and I for one, cannot wait to find out the answers.

Throughout the season finale, Ryan slipped deeper and deeper down the proverbial slope, to a point where he was back to using dirt to win cases, switching urine to save clients, and basically doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

What did it cost him? Well, he forced his pregnant sister to leave her husband and move to India. He pushed Jenna to marry Drew, because she believes that she has a baby on the way. And he caused his pal Wilfred to jump in front of a moving car, which severely injured him, and might have rid him of his memories.

But after Wilfred's fit of amnesia, be it real or artificial, Ryan remembered that the dog was recently writing a will that could help Ryan know what to do if anything happens to [him].

I was expecting the will to be a joke by Wilfred, saying something to the effect of I can't believe you thought I lost my memory, but instead, when Ryan got to the door of his beloved basement, he found a closet! The basement that he has been hanging out with Wilfred in for the entire season has been imaginary? Is that what we are being ed to believe?

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

Wilfred 113 - "Identity"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Whoah buddy! The fall tv season is upon us, and so are the September Power Rankings here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Here is your look at what you should be watching, or catching up on if you have missed the boat.

Show (Last Week) red=moving down, green=moving up

30 Rock (18) Thursdays on NBC
The NBC comedy didn't leave that great of a taste in my mouth after last season, so it falls out of the rankings. It doesn't air again until mid-season, so I doubt it will return any time soon.

Kasey on Bachelor Pad

Bachelor Pad (-) Mondays on ABC
I don't watch Bachelor. I don't watch Bachelorette. But putting all of these crazy people in one house does it for me. This season hasn't had a top group as enjoyable as last year's Dave and Kovacs, but it's been just as fun to hate on Kasey and Vienna.

Entourage (-) Sundays on HBO
I haven't hated this final season of Entourage thus far, but it has been really boring. Other than the episode when Tig blew his brains out, I could really care less about what is going on. I vote for Vince getting back on coke before it's all over. That was the most interesting thing in series history.

Falling Skies (HM) Sundays on TNT
I enjoyed the first season of Falling Skies, but if this was on during the year, it definitely would have started to back up on my DVR. I was never excited to see the next episode, but it was nice to have each Sunday this summer.

Dave and Alex on Happy Endings

Happy Endings (-) Wednesdays on ABC
I just finished listening to Mo Ryan and Ryan McGee wax on about the things they didn't like about Happy Endings. I was visibly angry at them. I really enjoy this series and you all should get on board the Happy Endings train. I'm not sure what the point of airing a new episode in the middle of the summer was, but I was pretty excited to see it.

iCarly (-) Fridays on Nickelodeon
With Hannah, Jonas, and Sonny of the air, Nickelodeon is the current king of teen comedies with iCarly coming into its own. I've enjoyed Miranda Cosgrove ever since School of Rock, but never gave this show a chance until this summer. She and her tv older brother Jerry Trainor kill it on this Nick show week in and week out.

The Lying Game (-) Mondays on ABC Family
I could only get through two episode of Nine Lives of Chloe King, I have seen six of Switched at Birth but not really enjoying it, so The Lying Game is the only new ABC Fam show I am really enjoying. The leading girl is all well and good, but it's her tv sister that I am really loving. This is some nice and light summer fare.

The Mentalist (-) Thursdays on CBS
It took me a while to finish this past season of The Mentalist, but once I got to that finale, I was certainly glad I did. It was some of the most suspenseful and emotional television I had seen in a while. I just don't know where the show goes from here, now that the only long-running story line is basically finished.

Marnie on True Blood

True Blood (HM) Sundays on HBO
This season hasn't been nearly as strange for strange's sake as last year, but I was over the witches from day one...especially Marnie. I can not stand her, and she is ruining the entire season. The only bright spot from this season has been Bill's development into a likable character...well that and the absence of Larry's were-panthers.

Wilfred (HM) Thursdays on FX
I've said enough about Wilfred through my reviews as of late, but I wanted to put it here in Honorable Mentions to note that I was very close to adding it to the Top 20. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first season, and am excited to see the finale.