TV Report Card: Week of January 9, 2011

It was another slow week, but here's this week's TV Report Card:

Monday
Greek: "Fools Rush In"

Casey's still adjusting to her post-grad life, but it looked a lot like her pre-grad life. Since she decided to forgo GW for Cyrus Rhodes she bunked with Rusty and Dale, but her need to relive her ZBZ days led her back to the house, and somehow she ended up being house mother thanks to Tegan (Charisma Carpenter). By episode's end, Casey was back to living in the sorority house for good. While Casey backtracked, Cappie and the KTs actually tried to move forward by trying to be a somewhat serious fraternity, but their Rush week was a disaster. Even Dale has grown up, and he's even rushing Omega Chi and possibly betraying his friends in the process. It's always a challenge to keep a show about school life relevant while characters move on, but FNL has proven that it can be done, but it's too bad Greek can't do the same. It's sad seeing Casey regress for the sake of keeping her around CRU, and before you know it Ashleigh will be back because she failed in NYC. Why have them graduate just to bring them back in this fashion? I'm sure these last ten episodes could have been just as good with them as seniors instead of alums, yet here we are.

GRADE: C

Castle: "Poof! You're Dead"

The Case of the Week involved a dead magician who helped a billionaire fake his own death. It turned out that the rich guy killed the magician to make sure he didn't talk.While the CoW was mildly entertaining, it was responsible for the line of the night ("Alakazam, jackass!"), but as always the lives of our main characters were more important. Lanie and Esposito were having a secret affair (finally) that everyone knew about, and Castle's relationship with Gina ended and Becks was there to cheer him up. My only gripe with the episode was how the magician's brother and colleague pretended to be a ghost to make the bad guy confess. Just bad. Silly tricks aside, "Poof" had some fun moments and it nudged the Caskett goodness a tiny bit forward, so I can't complain too much.

GRADE: B

Tuesday
Lights Out: "Pilot"

The series premiere of FX's new drama Lights Out did what it was supposed to do. It introduced the viewers to Patrick "Lights" Leary, his family, and their stories. While the first episode didn't color outside of the underdog boxer lines, but it also let us know that there's more to the story and it's going to be more than a Rocky knock-off mostly thanks to the characters. Leary started off as a cliched ex-fighter, but seeing him as a husband and father should flesh him out a bit. There's still a long way to go with the show, but the first episode was a decent start. It's just too bad not enough people checked it out. We might have another Terriers situation on our hands.

GRADE: B-

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Our Children, Ourselves"

Another episode of Modern Family, and another three stories that ranged from funny to bleh. After being absent last week, Alex was back and she made Phil and Claire wonder if she's ashamed of them since they're not as impressive as the parents of one of her classmates. As always, the Dunphys saved the episode because watching Claire try to prove that they're just as good as Sanjay's parents and Phil watching Croctopus in 3D were responsible for most of the laughs. The Cameron/Mitchell storyline about the latter's ex-girlfriend and possible son would have been a lot funnier if it wasn't obvious that the person we saw from behind was a small person. Per usual, Jay and Gloria's presence in the episode was devoid of any amusement, but Manny's obsession with his dribble cup was alright. While the J/G/M stuff missed the mark, the rest of the episode was funny enough to pick up the slack, and "Our Children" was an improvement over last week's installment.

GRADE: C+

Cougar Town: "A Thing About You"

Thank goodness for Canada! This Wednesday's episode of Cougar Town was bumped because of President Obama's speech about Tucson, but apparently it aired in Canada so I was able to watch it online. Jules having to deal with Laurie as a temporary roomie was annoying, which I guess was the point, but it just reminded me how unlikeable Jules is. Seeing Ellie away from the rest of the group was a nice break, and it was nice how she stuck up for her friend. The best part of the episode had to do with Bobby feeling insecure due to Grayson's relationship with Travis. They boys are still the highlight of the show, and I'd be perfectly happy if it was entirely about them. Maybe the Dunphys can move to Florida, live in Jule's house after she dies, and they can hang out with Grayson, Bobby, and Andy. That'd be the best show ever!

GRADE: C+

Friday Night Lights: "Gut Check"

All of the drama in the Lions' locker room finally came to a head which led to their first loss of the season, but a winning streak was not the only thing that ended during "Gut Check". Coach Taylor and Jess were finally fed up with Vince's poor attitude and they benched him literally and figuratively. Speaking of Coach and Jess, they had one of the season's best and endearing moment as he consoled her after her break up with Vince in his own way. Also, Tami's social experiment with Epyck came to an end after a misunderstanding turned violent. While we were finally getting to know Epyck, I'm glad her story is over since it just stuck out all season. Lastly, Julie's escape from reality ended when Matt told her how he cares about her but doesn't want to be her safety net. QB 1's all grown up. Oh yeah, and there was all of the Luke/Becky and Mindy stuff. "Gut Check" wasn't as strong as the last few episodes, but still pretty darn good.

GRADE: B-

So that's pretty much it. Another abbreviated TV Report Card, but things are really going to amp up next week with the return of most shows. Good times.