TV Report Card: Week of January 16, 2011

TV is back in full swing, so it was a pretty busy week of sitting around and watching the lives of fictional characters. Here's this week's TV Report Card:

Monday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. the Balcony"

Our favorite Nerd Herder made his return from its winter break with a pretty decent episode. "Balcony" was about three main missions: Team Bartwoski recovering a microchip, Chuck proposing to Sarah, and Lester finding a wife. Out of the three plot-threads, the strongest by far was the proposal sub-mission because it brought the sweet and the funny, and it really showcased the talents of Yvonne, Josh, and Adam. The real mission was just an excuse to send Team Bartowski to France, and the Lester story had a few chuckles but was ultimately unnecessary (like most Buy More plot lines). "Chuck vs. the Balcony" wasn't the show's strongest effort, but it was a good way to kick off the tail end of the initial 13-episode arc, and we all know Chuck leaves its best for last.

GRADE: B-

How I Met Your Mother: "Last Words"

This week's HIMYM had an interesting challenge which of course was following up the emotionally devastating end of "Bad News" while still being able to bring the funny. Luckily, Bays and Thomas were able to meet said challenge. "Last Words" took place at Marvin Eriksen's funeral, and focused on how a group of friends support one of their own during a time of loss. It was a nice mix of sentiment (the last words theme), sadness (Marshall's fight with God), humor (Robin's magic purse), and silliness (Ted and Barney's mission to make Marshall laugh). Even Lily was tolerable during this episode which was a miracle unto itself. We don't need a lot of episodes like "Last Words" from HIMYM, but seeing the gang in a more grown up story will always be a nice break from the norm.

GRADE: A

Greek: "Cross Examined Life"

It took everything in me to not turn off this week's Greek because it was so frustrating to watch. For some reason this show feels like the only way to move forward is to go backwards, which I guess could work, but seeing most of these character regress has been beyond annoying. The whole Legally Casey plot felt tired, and don't get me started on Ashleigh just up and leaving NYC. Even Rusty was back to his old self-centered, jackass ways thanks to Dale's rushing of Omega Chi. The only saving grace was seeing Cappie and Calvin bond, a friendship we don't get nearly enough of, because we actually learned something about them and their quest towards their futures. Sure, they had similar fears as the others, but at least it felt like they were doing something about it. Oh, and Katherine's return was a little anti-climactic, but I love her character so it's all good.

GRADE: C-

Hawaii Five-0: "He Kane Hewa'ole"

After this week's Hawaii Five-0, it was clear to me why I watch Castle on Monday nights. I know that I really shouldn't compare the two shows, but it's hard not to. "He Kane Hewa'ole" really wasn't a bad episode of television, but it really didn't stand out either. I vaguely remember a Seven moment after a car crash, an old Asian man, and a kidnapping. It sounds a lot more interesting than it really was, and to be honest the only aspect of the episode that stuck with me was the constant reference to CHiPs, but even the running gag ran out of steam. When it's all said and done, the case was boring, the banter between McGarrity and Danno wasn't as funny as what's said between Beckett and Castle, and it just paled in comparison to episodes of Castle.

GRADE: C-

Tuesday
White Collar: "Burke's Seven"

USA's con-man hit series came back with vengeance with a fun episode that answered some questions while bringing up a heck of a lot more. Right off the bat we found out that Mozzie survived the shooting,  and the Feds were dedicated to finding his shooter, but in the process Peter was framed for a crime he didn't commit. The rest of the episode focused on Peter and Neal putting together a crew, Ocean's 11 style, to pull off a job that would clear Burke's name and give some insight on who's pulling the strings. Seeing Peter on an actual con with Neal was a nice change of pace, and it led to some pretty funny moments between the two. While I couldn't have done without Burke's cowboy routine, I didn't realize how much I missed this show's suave style and strong chemistry amongst the cast until I watched "Burke's Seven", and I'm glad the show is back.

GRADE: B+

Lights Out: "Cakewalk"

"Cakewalk" did a good job at letting the audience know a little bit more about Lights' character and situation, but that was about it. We got some great scenes of Patrick with his kids, and we got to see him face the ramifications of his actions. The money problems that are at the root of his current situation were also front and center, and watching him juggle his new station in life while trying to maintain a level of normalcy for his family was great. There were just a tad too many cliches for my liking though, like Lights missing his daughter's ballet recital, to make me buy in 100%. I get that the show wants to play familiar beats that are found in both sports and mob stories, and I'm confident that it'll be successful at combining them, but so far some of those beats are a little too familiar. Regardless, I'm still intrigued enough to come back next week

GRADE: B

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Caught in the Act"

This season Modern Family has started to look and feel like a traditional sitcom with familiar cliches and tropes, which may or may not be a good thing. For example, "Caught in the Act" was another episode that relied heavily on miscommunication between the characters that caused problems that could have been avoided if they just talked to one another. It also had a classic sitcom moment where the Dunphy kids walked in on their parents being amorous. Oh yeah, and there was Cam and Mitchell schmoozing with a restaurant owner in order to get into her new, hip place. Once again, the Dunphys really brought the funny from the top down. On the other end of the spectrum there was Cam and Mitchell whose story felt a little tired, but luckily the A-plot was funny enough to pick up the slack.

GRADE: B-

Friday Night Lights: "Don't Go"

I can't believe that there are only three episodes of Friday Night Lights left! At least the little show that could has given us a pretty decent final season, with the exception of the Julie college storyline and the lack of narrative direction for Tami, and "Don't Go" was another strong outing from the FNL cast and crew. Coach Taylor's season long arc has been about whether he's going to stay at East Dillon or head to Florida for a college coaching job, and it's done a good job at creating legitimate internal and external conflict for Eric. Thankfully, Kyle Chandler has the acting chops to turn in some of his best performances to date. In an odd decision, we got Coach's answer with three eps to go; he's staying at East Dillion thanks to Vince's heartfelt plea. Speaking of Vince, he finally saw the light and realized that Ornette's involvement in his recruitment has done more damage than good. While I wish we had more time to explore the whole Recruitment of Vince storyarc a bit more, it feels like its come to the right conclusion. We also got the return of Tim Riggins and Luke's after high school dilemma, which gave us some great Mindy moments. Another drawback of a short episode order was the fact that we really didn't get to spend enough time on Luke, and when we did it was always about him and Becki. "Don't Go" was up there with some of the best episodes of FNL, and it had zero Julie. Coincidence?

GRADE: A-

Thursday
Community: "Asian Population Studies"

Community is an odd show because it can go from topical humor to meta-heavy references to somber moments in a heartbeat which has created a mish-mashed season so far, but it has worked from the most part. "Asian Population Studies" addressed some season long issues like Jeff/Annie and Shirley/Chang. Jeff was jealous of Annie's potential with his nemesis Rich, and everyone found out that Shirley and Change slept together during Halloween. To be honest, neither storyline was all that funny and they were filled with forced moments, but I still enjoyed the episode (thanks to Britta and Troy). Too bad I'm not a Chang fan, and his inclusion in the group has me worried. Bonus points for the introduction of Andre (although he didn't need to explain the joke about his sweater) and Troy & Abed in the Morning. "Asian Population Studies" wasn't one of Community's funniest episodes, but it had enough interesting character moments to keep me satisfied.

GRADE: B-

Parks and Recreation: "Go Big Or Go Home"

I jumped on the Parks and Recreation bandwagon super late; I just caught up on season 2 over the holidays, and while I haven't gotten drunk on the Pawnee Kool-Aid, it's still one of the funnier shows on TV. "Go Big Or Go Home" had the gang reassemble after the government shut down and focused a lot of relationships. We spent some time on Anne and Chris, Leslie and Ben, April and Andy, and the Ron/Tom/Wendy/Lucy quadrangle. Each pairing had their share of moments, but of course Ron stole the show as Bobby Knight with his Pyramid of Greatness. I still don't agree with most critics who think this is the greatest show ever, but I have become a big Ron Swanson fan. "Go Big Or Go Home" did a good job at catching everyone up and set the season in motion. I'll still be watching Nikita live, but P&R will have a place on my Hulu queue.

GRADE: B+

30 Rock: "Mrs. Donaghy"

Like Parks and Rec, I caught up on four and a half seasons of 30 Rock over the holiday season, and I now realize why it's won so many awards and praise. It's satirical look at entertainment, big business, race and society usually works well with the overall zaniness of the episodes, and I tend to laugh more at this show than any other. Since I'm so late to the game, I don't know if I'll add 30 Rock to the regular TV Report Card rotation, but I did want to share a few thoughts on "Mrs. Donaghy". While most of the episode really didn't work (Danny/Jenna/Ken), all of the Jack and Liz scenes were near perfect and their meeting with Weinerslav was brilliant. I'm not a Jack and Liz shipper, but they are the best non-couple couple on TV, so I'm glad the show put the kibosh on the "romance" while maintaining their friendship.

GRADE: B

Friday
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Past Transgressions"

Prequels, sequels, reboots, and adaptations are all risky business because they will always be compared to the original, so Spartacus: Gods of the Arena already has an uphill climb. It has to re-introduce the audience to characters and a world in a plausible and effective way, and in a way "Past Transgression" was able to do that. We got little glimpses of the characters we already knew while meeting new ones, and while it was novel seeing Batiatus, Lucretia, and Crixus before Spartacus arrived, the first episode relied too much on the sex and violence that made Blood and Sand work. Gods of the Arena still has some work to do to establish itself outside of its parent series' shadow, but I do have to admit that I was entertained.

GRADE: B-

Whew! That was a lot of TV to write about, but at least it was a pretty entertaining week. Luckily, things are going to be even nuttier next week once the CW shows make their returns.