TV Report Card: Week of February 13, 2011

It's late and last week's episodes of the shows I watch were not stellar, so I'm going to keep this TV Report Card short.

Monday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. The C.A.T. Squad"
Chuck's homage to Charlie's Angels didn't quite work mostly because the Cats were clichés, and the plot was extremely predictable. GRADE: C

How I Met Your Mother: "Desperation Day"
"Desperation Day" was a solid Barney episode, and I'm interested to see how things go with Nora. It was also one of the better Marshall/Lily episodes that we've gotten in a long time. The only lowpoint was Ted and Zoey. GRADE: B

Greek: "Midnight Clear"
So I'm pretty sure "Midnight Clear" was Greek's attempt at a bottle episode mostly because they were confined to a handfull of sets for the entire episode. The snowstorm forcing the gang to confront the issues they have with one another has been done before, but I felt the episode was effective. The idea of Ashleigh and Rusty still makes me cringe though. GRADE: C+

Castle: "The Final Nail"
I'm starting to think that Castle is getting a little stale because "The Final Nail" was another weak episode with the exception of the tension between Castle and Beckett. You'd think that a case involving a friend of Castle's would be epic, but it was only OK. GRADE: C

Hawaii Five-0: "Powa Maka Moana"
"Powa Maka Moana" had a vaguely interesting but over-the-top case involving pirates, bad acting, and the most telegraphed plot twist ever attempted. The only real upside was watching Ray Wise play a character that wasn't a baddie. This episode of H5-0 had its moments, but was ultimately mediocre. GRADE: C-

Tuesday
Glee: "Comeback"
The show had a challenge of following up one of its best episodes ("Silly Love Songs"), and I felt that "Comeback" was a decent effort. The Sue/Schue stuff felt a little forced and/or manipulative, but I'm interested to see how the Finn/Sam rivalry pans out. It was also nice seeing glimpses of old Rachel. GRADE: B-

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Princess Party"
I honestly cannot remember much from "Princess Party". Yes, Fizbo made his return but his appearance was not as good as last season, and there was something about Claire's mom but I cannot pin point why she was there. GRADE: C

Thursday
Community: "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking"
While I wasn't a big fan of the mock-mockumentary style, "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" was able to blend big laughs (thanks to Donald Glover) with some very dark moments. I don't know how the show will deal with Pierce's downward spiral, but it has definitely created an intriguing dilemma. GRADE: B

The Vampire Diaries: "The Dinner Party"
I actually liked TVD even though it didn't have any Caroline. I'm always a fan of backstory episodes, and the Elena/Elijah/Klaus arc took some intense turns. Could've done without Bonnie and Jeremy though. GRADE: B-

Nikita: "Alexandra"
It was flashback night on the CW as Nikita also gave us a Alex backstory episode. I was more entertained by seeing where Alex came from rather than her forced relationship with her neighbor, so "Alexandra" was already better than "The Next Seduction". It was also nice seeing Nikita and Michael teaming up again. GRADE: B-

Parks and Recreation: "Media Blitz"
The only reason I'm including Parks and Rec this week is because Ron and Andy have become one of the best comedy duos on TV. They have the chance to become the next Liz and Jack. GRADE: B+

30 Rock: "It's Never Too Late For Now"
The first time I watched "It's Never Too Late For Now", I didn't quite love it, but it grew on me. Really dug the Liz and Jack storylines, but could've done without Pete and Frank's band. They were still better than the Tracy and Kenneth combo though. GRADE: B

Friday
Supernatural: "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning"
Silly monster of the week, annoying plot twists, and forced dialogue pretty much dragged the episode down. At least Dean and Sam didn't spend the entire time bickering at one another though, so at least that was different. GRADE: D+

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Reckoning"
The second to last episode of Gods of the Arena had to be the best as we finally saw the characters morph into the people we've come to know. There's still a lot of story to tell, but so far Gods has been a nice addition to the Spartacus universe. GRADE: A