The Event 106- Age Is Just A Number

Spoiler alert...Below are a few thoughts on last night's episode and the start of The Event's first season. So watch the eps, bring me a sunflower 50 years too late, then read what I have to say.

I really want to do a better job of talking about some of the shows that I don't get to write about over at TV Fanatic. I could wait until the first of the month, and the November Power Rankings, to give my thoughts on the start of The Event, but last night's episode intrigued me enough to give it its own post.

Most of my readers (like 5 out of 6 total) enjoyed Flash Forward more than I did, but I still found much of it interesting. I find Flash and The Event so easy to compare because they have both come out as saying they are like Lost and critics immediately slammed both of them for being nothing like the recently retired great.

Both shows were and are of the serialized format, and both series had and have science fiction elements in them. The one area that I felt Flash fell short, and contrarily have seen some promise for in The Event, is getting the audience to care about the characters.

Throughout the season, I have enjoyed Jason Ritter and Sara Roemer story, and have been pleased with the tale of Simon the undercover alien. This week we got to know Simon in much greater detail as they kept flashing back to his life in the 1950s and early 2000s. In what was a great technique for Lost back in the day, I thought the flashbacks worked perfectly to get me more involved in Simon's story.

The only negative that came from this is that I think he died underneath that building. I'm not ruling out that he is still alive though, since he may have some super human alien strength. Let's hope so because last night he became my favorite character on the show, and it would be a shame if they got rid of him just like Flash Forward did to Al Gough.

Again, the flashbacks are a great technique to get the audience deeper in the minds of the characters. I think once we figure out what went down in President Martinez's past, he could become a more interesting guy, but for now he's one that I could care less about.

Keep the crazy stuff coming, but don't forget to make us care about the people that this crazy stuff is happening to.

The Sopranos Award- Best Action Series

Named For: Sopranos (HBO) 1999-2007
Awarded To: Best action series from June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: Chuck (NBC)

Place. Show (Network) Points (My Vote)

10. Dexter (Showtime) 0 points

9. The Mentalist (CBS) 1 point

8. Justified (FX) 4 points

7. 24 (FOX) 6 points

6. True Blood (HBO) 12 points (5th)

5. Flash Forward (ABC) 16 points

4. Sons of Anarchy (FX) 18 points (3rd)

3. Chuck (NBC) 20 points (2nd)

Runner-Up
2. Breaking Bad (AMC) 23 points (4th)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Lost (ABC) 36 points (1st)

Here with his thoughts on Lost is Poolie voter, Larry...

There has been so much literature written about LOST it’s kind of annoying to put something together here.  I haven’t read everything out there, but it seems like there is an obligation in every write-up to give your thoughts on the final season/season finale (down on the season, loved the finale). Everyone knows what happened, so that’s all I really want to say about the actual show. I’d rather talk about what LOST did outside its time slot.

To say the show had a cult following would be misleading, because it was actually more intense. With LOST, more than any other show, you were either in or out. I love that. Outsiders hated when a LOST conversation broke out because it seemed like people were speaking a different language. If you found a random stranger who watched the show, you immediately had material to fill up an hour long conversation. Honestly, it’s one of the only ways I could ever enjoy a conversation with a stranger. The show would not have become a phenomenon without this passion. On the internet, the craze spilled over into what seemed like a thousand online forums and even its own wiki-like site.  The resources never seemed to end. You can’t help but appreciate that kind of devotion. Even a contributor to this site found inspiration from the show for his Twitter wallpaper.

So although I was down on the season as a whole, no show came close to entertaining me as much on and off the air. That’s why I voted for it and that’s why I think it is the best network television show ever. I have always said I am jealous of people who still haven’t seen it, because they have 120+ hours of entertainment sitting there, completely new to them. I can’t say that about any other show up for the award, so while this category is stacked, it really wasn’t that close.

by Larry Avitabile

ABC Upfronts- Gut Reactions

ABC came into the year knowing that they were losing one of their most beloved shows, as Lost was in its sixth and final season. There was a good amount of hype around two new serialized science fiction series and neither of them really panned out the way the network wanted. In 2010-11 it seems they are going in different directions. Let's see what is going down.

Canceled: Of course there's Lost, although not canceled is still out of our lives. And then one of the two Lost replacements, Flash Forward also got the axe to the dismay of a few readers of this blog. Long running comedy Scrubs also came to an end as did the short-lived, but critically acclaimed, Better Off Ted. Romantically Challenged, The Deep End, Happy Town and The Forgotten basically were done before they started.


Returning: Well there is the quartet of ladies shows in Grey's, DH, Bros and Sis, and Private Practice that are all back. God help us all. The three sitcoms return, with Modern Family being the only one I consistently watch, but the other two seem to be on the decent side. And to round things out Castle and V are back. Castle seems to be airing this summer though so that's not a good sign, and V isn't on the fall schedule so who knows if it makes it back on the air.

New Shows

I never saw The Shield but have heard good things about Michael Chiklis in it. Him as the head of a superhero family definitely has potential here in No Ordinary Family. Add Rita from Dexter in a role that doesn't seem as annoying and I think we might have something.

Then there are a trio of what some may call comedies that look...interesting. Matthew Perry's Mr. Sunshine may have the most potential, if only for Matthew Perry. Better Together has Joanna Garcia in a starring role, and after her stint on Priviliged I don't think I can say no to that. Then there is Happy Endings with Elisha Cuthbert and the guy I couldn't care less about in Flash Forward. From the trailer I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a comedy or not, but again, it has Elisha Cuthbert.

My Generation looks like a valiant attempt at something quasi-different, but I believe it is a fail. Then there is the garbage that is Detroit 1-8-7, The Whole Truth, Body of Proof and Off the Map. No thanks.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Well it's that time again. Along hearing myself talk, here at the Quiet Pool Perspective we like to let you know what tv you should be watching. Every two months I give you a few quick thoughts on the best television out there for viewing in what we call here at The Pool, the Bi-Monthly Power Rankings. As always I will rank the top 20 series on tv and then come up with 10 more as honorable mentions. Because of the sheer volume of great tv out there in 2010, the honorable mentions won't necessarily be 21-30, just the one's I want people to know about at the time being. For example, this time around Californication, House and Greek aren't on my list of Honorables, but that doesn't mean I don't like them more than those that are. They got a shout out last time so I'm making room for some newcomers.

Honorable Mentions

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

90210- (16) Tuesdays on The CW
The acting and writing continues to be terrible, but that's never stopped me before. 90210 is worth watching for nostalgia, atmosphere and Naomi Clark. She is still somewhat of a villain, but she's really the best on the show because she is just completely out there about every topic on earth.

Bored to Death- (-) Sundays on HBO
This dry, subtle comedy had only a short first season to wet my appetite, but I'm hungry for more. Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis are quite the trio. I'm still waiting for Zach's character Ray to throw some of his empty Schweppes cans down a tube into the basement.

Flash Forward- (20) Thursdays on ABC
They still haven't sold me with a lot of character development on this show, but the mystery keeps it a worthy watch. What's the deal with the blackout? Who's a bad guy? What will happen next? These are all questions that keep me involved in the plot of the show. Now if they could only get me to care about what happens to the characters, it might move up the rankings.

How to Make it in America- (-) Sundays on HBO
Another HBO series that got a short first season order. How to Make it, which was labeled as Entourage East early on, was much better than the LA dramedy this year. The way they use New York City as a character is fantastic, and it might be worth the watch just for the superb opening credits alone.

Life Unexpected- (-) Mondays on The CW
The first of two straight family dramas just finished up its first season run and still hasn't been re-upped for a second. Life Unexpected always give off a loving feeling, even if the given episode deals with some strange form of tragedy. I for one continue to want to see good things for this small family of three.

Parenthood- (-) Tuesdays on NBC
And then there is the big family drama. If you ever have enjoyed Brothers and Sisters, this is the show for you. Parenthood is basically a good version of it. Less stupid drama, more real life issues and comedy. Oh and there are actually characters on this show that are likable. One of them happens to be Dax Shepard's Crosby. I never thought I could like this dude, but he brings it here.

Party Down- (-) Fridays on Starz
Adam Scott is leaving the show for greener pastures at NBC next year so watch it while it's still around. Season two has opened with Adam's Henry Pollard as team leader of the catering company and he has a new outlook on life. It's much different than the down on life Henry we first met in season one, but Adam Scott can pull anything off in my book, even an acapella Sweet Child O' Mine.

Rules of Engagement- (-) Mondays on CBS
It always seems to get a half season order, but Rules is not only the only Monday CBS comedy that is good, but the only one that is tolerable. All five leads bring something good to the table. Adam, although he gets less air time than David Spade's Russell or Patrick Warburton's Jeff, is the highlight of every week for me. His combination of self-deprecation, loser attitude, and femininity bring about most of the laughs every episode.

Treme- (-) Sundays on HBO
As I mentioned in my first review of the series, Treme has gotten off to a good start. The quality of the writing and acting has been great so far. The only thing holding it back are story lines that don't give you much to hold on to. In the same way that Mad Men started out as a period piece about people working at an ad agency, Treme has started as the same in post Katrina New Orleans. If the new David Simon series can grow in plot the way Mad Men did over its second and third seasons, I'll be excited.

V- (-) Tuesdays on ABC
V has returned from its long hiatus, and done so in fine fashion. The battle between good and evil is on the verge of coming to the forefront. If there is a major downfall in V it is that they really haven't kept it a surprise that the Visitors are bad. Before the show started they made it seem like it was going to be a question of whether or not you should trust the Vs (not that different than The Others on Lost). Although many of the people in this universe may trust the Vs, there is no mistaking that they should not be trusted, and that just leaves a lot of mystery out of the equation.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

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.

20 Through 11

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

20. Parks and Recreation- (HM) Thursdays on NBC
The Office copycat makes the top 20 for the first time due to the continued strength of Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, the emergence of April Ludgate as a great female character, and a couple of great guest spots in Fred Armisen and Will Arnett.

19. Flash Forward- (17) Tuesdays on ABC
Most of the Poolie voters seem to like this catastrophic drama more than I or anyone else I read does, but it ideology and potential keep in in the top 20. After a long hiatus let's see if the switching of showrunners (twice?) points it in the right direction.

18. The Mentalist- (19) Thursdays on CBS
Still my favorite procedural out there. Patrick Jane all but matches Greg House step for step, but it is the quality of the minor characters and storylines that put it over the top.

17. Survivor- (15) Thursdays on CBS
It was hard to move up after the ending of last season, so Survivor drops a few spots. I'm more than sure that the original reality series will slide back up the rankings as Heroes vs. Villains continues.

16. 90210- (14) Tuesdays on The CW
They continue to shuffle in and out horrific actors and plots that aren't much better, but it is the nod to the original 90210 that keeps me hanging on. If anything, Annalynne McCord as Naomi Clark is worth checking it out all by herself.

15. Mad Men- (11) Sundays on AMC
The third of five straight shows that moved back in the rankings. Mad Men's move has more to do with the addition of Sons and Breaking than its own merits. The 1960s drama doesn't compare to all the critical praise it receives, but it's still a very good show.

14. 30 Rock- (7) Thursdays on NBC
Tina Fey and crew are really making me wonder if 30 Rock ever was as good as I thought it was. I guess it will have to wait until I check out a few eps from seasons past before I can make that judgment. I do know that this season has been lackluster at best.

13. 24- (6) Mondays on FOX
I huge fall for the real time action series. As was talked about in the second episode of the Quiet Poolcast, this season just isn't doing it for me. Yeah I know many people have tired of 24's ways, but I have enjoyed it throughout. Maybe it's just Dana that is ruining it for me.

12. American Idol- (12) Tuesdays on FOX
There might be only a couple of shows that I get as excited for as American Idol. It doesn't move up the rankings though, because it also has the tendency to let me down. The first week of live shows was a complete disaster.

11. Big Brother- (9) Summers on CBS
I wish that Big Bro got the two seasons per 12 months treatment that Survivor and Amazing Race get from CBS, but then again three episodes per week in the summer is also a pleasant way to spend July and August.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

As the winter hiatus is upon us, four months of the television season has passed us by. A lot has happened since The Perspective's November Power Rankings, so let's see where everyone stacks up at the beginning of 2010. These Bi-Monthly Power Rankings take into account both current and past performance. For example, although I have enjoyed Modern Family much more than 30 Rock this season, the NBC comedy stays on top of the ABC laugher because of its historical performance. Without further ado here are the Quiet Pool Perspective's January TV Power Rankings.

20 Through 11

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

20. Greek- (15) Mondays on ABC Family
This series has to be ending soon right? They can't continue it without the likes of Cappie, Casey and Evan. And they have to be graduating come this spring season. Greek will return this month and if they keep highlighting Cappie and Dale it should stay in the top 20.

19. The Mentalist- (16) Thursdays on CBS
The only procedural to make my top 20, The Mentalist succeeds on the performances of its cast. Sure Patrick Jane is one of my favorite leading characters, but between Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt you always get plenty of laughs in what is a crime drama. As the show loses Charles Logan, who will return to 24 this spring, I'm curious to see how the new boss at the CBI fits into things.

18. Wizards of Waverly Place- (12) Fridays on Disney Channel
The Russo clan took a bit of a drop here, but was mostly because I gave Wizards too much love last rankings. The recent rise of Jonas also made me dial back how much I liked Wizards. The start to the third season has been good, but the Frankengirl episode ruined a lot of things for me.

17. Flash Forward- (HM) Thursdays on ABC
Here's the thing. Everyone I trust who watches television (Poolie voters) loves Flash Forward. Everything I read, on the interweb and the blogosphere, says it isn't any good. My two cents are this. It could be really good, but misses out by a smidge and therefore critics are trashing it. It's still a quality mystery show with a good amount of action.

16. V- (-) Tuesdays on ABC
Anna and her friends have only been invading Earth for four episodes, but they have made an immediate impact. As opposed to Flash Forward, V has done a better job (in less time) at giving their characters some substance. I can relate to Juliet, the Father and T-time (or whatever their names are) more than I have with anyone on Flash.

15. Survivor- (HM) Thursdays on CBS
Although he failed to win this season of Survivor, he single handedly moved it up my power rankings. Without him what would this season of the show have been? Terrible is what I'd say. His skills in the game, his cocky attitude, and his ability to tell the camera exactly what the audience wanted to hear made him one of the greatest reality contestants in a while.

14. 90210- (11) Tuesdays on The CW
While other shows have moved ahead of it, there is no discredit to the the West Bev soap. 90210 is gaining steam in its second season, no doubt due to the creator/writing change. The storylines have been better and the acting has been better (if you don't take into account Tristan Wilds). Naomi Clarke is the best female in Beverly Hills since Valerie Malone left.

13. Community- (HM) Thursdays on NBC
The Greendale Human Beings made one of the biggest jumps in the rankings. I couldn't allow for it to be too far behind the other top sitcoms. It has been that good. Although it doesn't have a big gun, a la Michael Scott or Tracy Jordan, the ensemble as a whole has been as good or better than The Office or 30 Rock this season. Even though Abed and Pierce are my personal favorites, everyone brings something to the table week in and week out.

12. American Idol- (13) Tuesdays on FOX
As we embark on the next installment of Idol, beginning this month, everyone should be worried. Sure everyone made fun of Paula and her drunken comments, but wasn't that half the fun? Sometimes I surprise myself when I state that I think Ellen is funny, but I do. Do I think she'll be able to take the place of Paula? That I am not sure of. And after a season with the crazy but fantastic Adam Lambert, Idol could be in for a let down in 2010.

11. Mad Men- (17) Sundays on AMC
Another big jumper this time around. At the last rankings it was 17 with only one episode left in the third season. That final ep wasn't the sole reason for this jump, but it was a good majority of it. As much as I have claimed that I'm not that into Mad Men, and I only watch it because everyone in the world says it's awesome, I really think that it has resonated with me. The longer I have been away from the ad men, the better the show gets.

Thursday Thoughts- Dot Com at Wesleyan

Flash Forward
My first thought from this week's episode came when Demetri and the Famous Jet Jackson started talking about Madden and how one of them used to dominate the other. Or cheat as the other one put it. So by cheating he meant that he used Michael Vick right? Because that is as good as cheating. Oh let me drop back to pass and then run as fast as I can around the corner with my 99 speed. If there were a way to control every defender it may have been able to be prevented, but alas that was never possible. What a jerk. No using the Falcons in any Madden game of the Vick era.

My next thought of the ep was all about the Famous Jet Jackson (Al Gough). I was excited that they were starting to use him in a more major role. Boy was I disappointed by the end of it. His attitude to get into the club was awesome. I'm gonna be alive in my flash forward, bullet or not bullet. I kept getting angrier and angrier at the characters in this show, as they continued to talk about the future like it couldn't be changed. And then Jet had to go and do exactly what I was thinking. He jumps off the top of the FBI building and therefore screws with his future.

Is this as big a game changer as I imagine it could be? Does him taking his own life change just that ladies life the he accidentally killed at some point in the future? Or does it have a ripple effect that changes everything on Earth? Is that why Beardy's daughter shows up at his place at the end of the ep? 'Cause in his flash it seemed like he was seeing her for the first time. No?

30 Rock
Why does the blatant product placement work in 30 Rock, while it could nowhere else? This week's love affair with Cysco Systems was fantastic. They worked it in many times and the super-obvious effect worked on me every time. Oh then there was also the Winter Olympic Games plug that Jack seemed to mention to the camera only. Still, it was funny.

If I knew that Dot Com was in plays at Wesleyan, I would've driven down the street and checked it out. Since when did we know his name was Walter? Did they just sneak it in there? I love when Grizz or Dot Com have bigger roles in the episodes.

Community
Jeff/Abed storyline: fantastic. Annie/Troy storyline: brutal. Pierce/Vaughn storyline: also fantastic. Very little Britta this week. Another positive. Jeff opening up to the finer side of eating cereal and watching non-stop television was great, but of course it was Abed that brought it all together. Guy has been fantastic so far in this first season. I've never enjoyed Troy, but now he has to bring Annie down with him. She was up and down there for a while, but has been pretty annoying recently.

Major question of the week. How did the casting/writing go down for the character of Vaughn? Did they cast the character looking for an actor with small nipples? Or was it that once they found Eric Christian Olsen to play the part, they realized he had tiny nipples and figured they could use that in some way? I'm not sure, but he's been a great guest spot.

Thursday Thoughts- Mean Pam Beesly

Flash Forward
First things first...Is it me or is it completely unnecessary to have this chick, Janis Hawk, be gay. Well if it is the only way that they could find to bring Theresa from The O.C. onto the show then I guess the gratuitous kissing scenes can stay. What a fantastic couple they are.

One of the major questions plaguing the realism of Flash was "why are they the only ones dealing with the investigation of the flashes?" I know that The Dude is the one who had the flash about the investigation but you would think that every section of every agency would be looking into it. Well this week's episode answered that question thoroughly. A lot of places were doing their own investigation and therefore a hearing was held in Washington to see who got funding to continue their investigation. That makes sense. Obviously, in the end, their LA branch of the FBI received the funding, but not for the reasons you would have assumed.

All in all, with all of the court room drama, it was a pretty lackluster episode. What made it all worth while was the fire fight scene with the 'Like a Rolling Stone' cover playing. The song and the action were so inconsistent that it gave the scene a great feeling. It was very similar to the opening scene of last week's episode when the bus was crashing into the lake. Great stuff.


The Office
Angry and mean Pam is much better than nice and lame Pam. When she is truly angry and gets hurtful towards others, it's truly gold. We need people to absolutely destroy her more often. Normal Pam is usually in the running for character I love to hate, but if this is the Pam we get more often, she could be up there for best female characters.

Pam- "I could give a f*ck about your happiness, stop dating my mother!"

Thursday Thoughts- Tracy Jordan Wants To Guess Your Name

Flash Forward
Let's begin with a note on the great dynamic we observed between The Dude and Noh early on in the ep. When the two of them went to the burger joint we got action as they chased down the pot dealer, then they had a heated argument stemming mostly from Noh being scared of his future murder, they then get into a bit of a fist fight, and finally the guys discuss the situation like men and put it behind them. Great sequence.

How about Olivia. What is her deal? Be a little more realistic honey. You cannot continue to just completely dismiss the flashes, thinking that it will make yours cease to exist. Stop commenting on the flashes like they are just like dreams. They are obviously much more and you're an idiot if you think they don't mean anything. If you're suicidal doctor friend discovered something based on a patient's flash, it makes sense to look into it. Don't disregard it and end up almost killing some dude because the flashes are like dreams.

And we finally get what all us Lost fans have been waiting for. This week's ep ended with (Lord) Simcoe receiving a phone call from who else, but Charlie Pace. And little did we know that this wouldn't be the best part about the call. Charlie mentions to Lord Simcoe that the two of them were responsible for this entire event! The fact that Simcoe may be involved in this whole thing actually makes Olivia's flash forward very interesting. Does his involvement in the black out have to do with why he is with Olivia six months from now? Does he know her husband is on the case and wants to screw him up by stealing his wife? The fact of the matter is that Charlie and Simcoe are probably a small cog in a much greater scheme involved in the event, but we'll see.

30 Rock
What a valiant return by Tracy Jordan. He lost no ground as the funniest character on television during the first episode of the season. Here are the ridiculously funny moments from Tracy this week.

--People in St. Bart's be eatin' lobster like this...mmm, mmm, yumm, yumm, mmm
--(Rolly walks in) Eeeek, who's that?
--Hello fellow human being. Would you like to ask me what time it is?
--You look regular, could i guess your name? Is it Pedro? Is it Craigford? Is it Swimming?
--Are you a pre-op trans-centaur?
--Do you wanna hold hands with a black millionaire?
--New what?!? If it's a blonde woman i'ma kill myself!!!

Thursday Thoughts- Jim and Pam's Big Day

Flash Forward
My first thought after watching this week's ep was that there wasn't much action. It was pretty slow moving, but it kept my attention the entire time. I feel that because it's so early on in the season I am much more likely to be curious about every single word that is spoken. If this ep took place maybe 12 weeks in, I probably would have been bored through it. Take for example the middle of Lost season two.

A few questions regarding the situation with Demetri Noh and his fiancé, Gabrielle Union. In her flash she is at her wedding day. When Noh asks her if she saw him, she said yes. Is this some kind of mystery that we/they need to figure out, or was she just assuming it was him and never actually saw him. Why wouldn't Noh just tell her that he saw nothing and he might be dead? Why do people run away from the truth so often? Speaking of him seeing nothing, that would mean that he is dead and she was getting married to someone else less than a month after her ex-fiancé gets murdered? What a slue. Here's an idea Demetri, get married tomorrow! This may change the future and you might not die. Or better yet, wear a bullet proof vest on March 15th!

Is it bad that every time Stan Wedeck speaks I expect him to spit out references from Huck Finn? During his eulogy this week, how could he not ask, "Is a cat a cow? Is a cow a cat? Is a French man a man? Than why don't he talk like a man?"

The end of this week's ep started to heat up again as The Dude began to question the crows dying. Through a little research he found that something like this has happened before?!? You would think that if something like this happened only 18 years ago, they would've remembered it!

The Office
I've said it before and I'll say it again, The Office is much better as an hour long show. This week's ep was more proof of that. The best episode so far this season. I feel it just has more room to breathe with the 42 minute run time. They don't have to cram a bunch of jokes in at once.

Dwight was fantastic this week:
"A three ounce fetus is calling the shots...that's bad ass."

Then once in the great Niagra Falls, Dwight is unbelievable at the kids' table.

As he begins to find out stuff about Pam's relatives, his internet information was unbelievable...the chick's sophomore year volleyball record? Classic.

Michael, thinking that Dwight is trying to find girls for the two of them, is disappointed when Mr. Schrute's remark, "I found twins" is merely that. Twins. Twin fat dudes!

I'll admit that I was as hyped about Jill and Kevin's Big Day wedding video as anyone when it first came out. Of course I immediately thought about the different productions I would be able to come up with for my, or someone else's as the case may be, wedding. What makes Michael so lame, and me not, is that his idea was to do that exact recreation of what Jill and Kevin's friends already did. And that is what made it so funny. To this day, no matter what the situation, that wedding aisle dance is awesome every single time. This erratic performance by the Dunder-Miffliners was no exception. Just great stuff. As a bonus, watch Creed's face while he is dancing. Hilarious.

Community
I feel like this week was a bit of a step backwards. As I, and Seth Cohen before me, have said, big is not funny. Professor Chang, to some extent Phil Knight and now this British Psychologist have all been playing big, outlandish teachers that aren't doing it for me. Why do they have to use these guest characters in such a big role? What is this SNL? Focus on your funny characters, which are Joel McHale's Jeff, Chevy's Pierce and Abed. I'm not getting nearly enough Chevy and Abed in these episodes. Abed's love of movies and tv is a great characteristic for me, personally. Him comparing his and Annie's relationship to that of Phoebe and Chandler because they didn't have many story lines together was classic.

Thursday Thoughts- Phil Knight's In the Community

Flash Forward
In a show like this, with such an grandiose theme, I feel it is so easy to think it is really good. I have so many positive thoughts about where it's going, but I fear that it might lead to disappointment down the road. Like what happened with Heroes. After listening to Bill Simmons podcast with Alan Sepinwall today, I agreed whole-heartedly with Alan, who stated that Lost had no idea where they were going through season three and then set an end date and has been unbelievable since. Let's hope the creators of Flash know where they are going. A show like this makes you ask so many questions about the overarching story lines. Why did this flash forward happen, and what was it really? But then, if it's anything like Lost, maybe this one flash was a smaller cog in a much larger picture of the world.

Note: I'm going to be calling the main character, The Dude. The Dude's flash was of him doing the investigation. On his wall of evidence are the things he's going to find between now and six months from now. Pops asked the question, "why not stop doing the investigation in order to stop the chain of events from happening?" A good question, but in the grand scheme of things, some people probably had positive flashes. The Dude is better off doing the investigation so that they can figure out the intricacies of the phenomenon. And then he goes and burns up the bracelet his daughter gave him...interesting.

Immediately before watching this week's ep, I was watching 24 season four. In the ep, 8-9 PM, Dina Araz is taken behind a wall and shot...or was she? Less than an hour later, I'm watching her call Harold on the phone to tell him exactly when he will be murdered, March 15, 2010.

The Office
Great cold open with the Jim/Dwight dynamic back in full force. It's sad that it never came back the rest of the way. I loved the Jim/Michael storyline this week for one reason...Michael. He was hilarious as always, but Jim was acting really lame when as he tried to be a reliable co-manager. Whenever Jim gets so serious it reminds me why I can never nominate the guy for an award. He's funny only some of the time. On a different note, I feel they have really been misusing Creed in the past couple seasons. Early on this guy was dynamite. Recently he hasn't been that funny. The material they gave him in this week's ep, saying "how come we haven't ever...?" to Meredith. Just terrible.

Community
First off can we give some love to Phil Knight back on the comedy night done right lineup? He was the best thing about Kath and Kim last season, and now that K&K is gone, I'm glad to see Phil getting some love on Community. He was classic as Robin Williams' character in Dead Poets Society. He was much more over the top and much funnier. After Jeff kisses Britta at the end of this week's ep, Phil exclaims a big, "Woweeee!" and then frolicked off the to climb a tree.

Even better than Phil Knight this week, was Chevy Chase's lesson on how to sneeze like a man. His wide variety of sneezes, and reason why you would need them all, had me cracking up the entire time.

Thursday Thoughts

Flash Forward
I know it was only the first episode of the series, but I'm absolutely ready to dash for Flash. This was a great season premier and I definitely recommend it as the show to watch this fall so that you don't have to catch up later on. The premise of the show is just fantastic and unlike anything else on television right now. This epic event (everyone flashing their consciousness forward six months) happens to everyone in the entire world at the same time and now the characters in the show have to A)figure out what exactly happened, B)why it happened, and C)is it going to happen again. Much as the series premiers of Lost and Heroes felt game-changing, so did that of Flash Forward.

Now let's talk about the all-star cast of familiar faces in this crew.

The one who is dead in his flash forward- Harold of Harold and Kumar fame

The wife of the main dude- Penelope Widmore of Lost or Charlie's new wife in Terminator: TSCC

The dude Penny cheats on her husband with in her flash- Yes that is Commodore Norrington of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

The head FBI dude in charge of the main dude and Harold- The one, the only, the RUNAWAY SLAVE, Jim from Adventure of Huck Finn

Soon to be seen is the lost from Lost Dominic Monaghan who played Charlie Pace on the acclaimed show

Edit: I forgot about the Famous Jet Jackson

The Office
After two weeks of Office and one of Curb, I think I have to move the Larry David special ahead in my rankings. Office is still very good, but doesn't have the same kick it did during season 2-3 lure. Dwight teaming up with Toby for this week's ep definitely brightened up last year's Lily Finerty Award winner, and didn't drop Dwight at all. Toby yelling at Daryl's sister from the car with the binocs was awesome. How come Jim isn't ever funny anymore. I remember him being funny on occasion in the past.

Community
It has not taken off yet, but another good episode this week. Joel McHale is great and Chevy Chase was even better than week one. The Indian kid wasn't as good as the premier episode, but still quality. I'm looking for one of the chicks to step up the plate and prove something. I feel it might be Pete Campbell's wife. She showed some promise in this ep. At the end, when Joel and Chevy did their epic Spanish presentation, I laughed hysterically. The only problem was that that was the only time I laughed out loud.

The Mentalist
As most procedural do, The Mentalist got right back in the swing of things with their hum dee dumb format. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed. Any format would work with this crew. One major note is that Rigsby lost some serious wait between the first and second seasons. If that doesn't get Van Pelt seriously interested in him, I don't know what will. Patrick Jane was on his game as usual, and the overlying plot line of Red John is still lurking. I'm glad that it will always be on the back burner so that the show has some sort of end game.

Parks and Recreation
Ann's boyfriend is fantastic. He lives in a ditch, eats the fruits and vegetables from Leslie's garden, and spies on his ex-girlfriend. Tom Haverford is the only other dude on the show I can't get behind right now. Ann is quality, although she's just playing Karen Filipelli. Amy Poehler is garbage. The good-looking dude isn't funny. The boss doesn't do it for me. And the young girl is boring. Definitely behind Community at this point.

ABC Fall Preview

What we're excited for from ABC this fall.

Check out the entire ABC lineup with my recommendations here.

Brothers & Sisters

The only returning show on ABC this fall that I'm not upset about watching. Sure nothing ever exciting happens, and I don't like many of the characters, but Brothers & Sisters is always worth a watch. As long as Emily VanCamp continues to return as Rebecca Harper, I will continue to watch. And those of you wondering, my enfatuation with her has nothing to do with the beginning of her last name.

Flash Forward

Although I'm excited for the all new Flash Forward coming this September, I'm half expecting it to completely miss. Don't get me wrong, I love the promos for it, but I think they might outdo the show itself. The premise is great, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be an ordinary show ontop of a great premise.

Modern Family

When it comes to sitcoms, I don't care much for the premise. I deal in actors and writers. The writers' most recent job was the 2007 failed Back to You. The good news is that I enjoyed Back to You. When you add Ed O'Neil and Ty Burell (who starred in Back to You) I think it should be a quality comedy.