TV Report Card: Week of October 2, 2011

Week 3 is in the books and the TV Report Card is starting to become a little lighter. Since I didn't watch Episode 2 of Pan Am (and am not planning to anytime soon), it's no longer on the list and neither is Whitney. I'm close to giving up on The Big Bang Theory altogether, so I won't be wasting any more time on it. Recapping Glee takes up most of my time Tuesday evenings, so I don't know how much longer Sons of Anarchy will be sticking around, but there are new additions in Homeland and American Horror Story. Without further ado, here is this week's TV Report Card.

Sunday
Homeland: "Pilot"

During the pilot season, many of the critics that I respect kept saying how Showtime's Homeland was not only the best new drama of the fall, but probably the best new show period. Of course I had to check it out after the hype, and it did not disappoint. The pilot did a great job of setting up the premise, introducing the characters, and even threw the audience the first big question of the season. The story about a former American P.O.W. who may or may not have been turned into a terrorist is interesting enough, but it's the performances by Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, and Morena Baccarin that make this show special. Homeland's definitely the must-see Sunday night drama. Sorry Boardwalk.

GRADE: A

Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "The Stinson Missile Crisis"

Now, that's the HIMYM that I know and am disappointed by. After one of the better episodes of the last few seasons, "Ducky Tie", Mother had to go back to being an unfunny waste of talent. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I cannot stand mopey Robin and since the entire episode revolved round her, I was immediately disinterested. To add insult to injury, the B-plot about Ted being the third wheel felt like something that should have been addressed six years ago. Even the awkward scenes between Ted and Marshall at the birthing class sans Lily didn't illicit many laughs. That being said, Barney's antics were humorous and I still like him when he's with Nora. Ultimately, it just felt like "The Stinson Missile Crisis" was a giant step backward.

GRADE: D+

2 Broke Girls: "And the Strokes of Goodwill"

Honestly, the idea of Max and Caroline shopping at Goodwill shouldn't have worked as much as it did, but I did find myself chuckling a few times. Unfortunately, most of this episode didn't really work for me. Most of the jokes were dated ("Hot in Herre", really?) or borderline offensive, and right now the two leads are overacting (but that's the CBS style) to the point of distraction. There were a few bright spots like seeing the relationship between Max and Caroline grow, and the latter had some standout moments, but 2 Broke Girls should be better than it really is and has been a minor disappointment in my opinion.

GRADE: C

Castle: "Head Case"

Is it just me or has Season 4 of Castle had a slow start? "Rise" wasn't as strong as an opener as I was expecting, and this week's "Head Case" was kind of boring. The Case of the Week about cryogenic freezing, tumors, and crazy wives just didn't interest me, and even Alexis' crisis over not getting into Stanford was a tad bit annoying. I love the character, and Molly Quinn is always great, but hearing Alexis whine the entire time got old fast. Yes, I know that it's a very common story for teenagers, but if I wanted to watch teenage angst I would've rewatched last week's Glee. Thankfully, there were some decent jokes and Caskett moments to hold me over.

GRADE: C

Tuesday
Glee: "Asian F"

Many on Twitter were saying that "Asian F" was the best episode of Glee ever, so I went in hesitant and expecting to be disappointment. Luckily, almost everyone was right. Pretty much everything that involved Mike Chang was perfect, I appreciated how heady and musical-like most of the musical numbers were, and I'm starting to buy this West Side Story arc. I just wish we didn't get so much Brittany because her overexposure is starting to become distracting. Heck, even Will and Emma's misguided but still somewhat humorous plot had its moments. It's still too early to say Glee is back, but these past two episodes have me believing again.

GRADE: A-

New Girl: "Wedding"

Zooey Deschanel is obviously the selling point to New Girl, but this week's "Wedding" gave us the chance to learn a little bit more about her male roommates. Schmidt may still be a little too cartoonish, but he can be charming sometimes, and Nick's relationship hell was tragically funny. Even Winston had some funny moments when he got all competitive with the little kid. Also, the slow-mo Chicken Dance was quite possibly the funniest sight gag ever! This show still charms the heck out of me, and I hope that I don't grow tired of Zooey's gimmick anytime soon.

GRADE: B-

Wednesday
Up All Night: "New Car"

For the first time I didn't really care for Up All Night. I still think that the family story lines are by far the best, but the plot about Chris and Reagan buying a new car in order to make room for their baby didn't make me laugh as much as previous episodes. A less funny parenting story coupled with excruciatingly bad Ava moments combined for a less than stellar outing. I'm still a minor fan of the show, but they need to fix the Ava problem fast.

GRADE: C-

Suburgatory: "The Barbecue"

I was lukewarm after watching the first episode of Suburgatory because it was too much like it predecessors, but "The Barbecue" made the show feel a bit more fresh while still utilizing time-honored tropes (her crush on the jock, and keeping up with the neighbors). I find Tessa more charming than even Jenna from Awkward., and I think that she's a better Britta than Community's Britta because she's snarky but likable, and I can buy her vulnerability. I'm also loving the father/daughter bond even though that too is such a worn out cliche, but at least it's a good one. Some of the zaniness of the burbs could be toned down a bit, but it wasn't too distracting this time around.

GRADE: B-

Modern Family: "Door to Door"

There was a second there while I was watching "Door to Door" where I could've sworn that it was a sequel to last week's episode because the stories were almost identical. Mitch and Cam bickered, Gloria had issues with the dog, Jay taught Manny some sort of lesson, Claire was acting all superior while Phil and Luke goofed off. Sound familiar? The only difference was the fact that Alex and Haley contributed very little, but besides that it was pretty much the exact same episode, and I pretty much reacted the same way I did to "Phil on a Wire".

GRADE: C+

Happy Endings: "Baby Steps"

"Baby Steps" was an example of Happy Endings at its best. Admittedly, the story lines were not groundbreaking but the cast put their own spin on them to make them funny again. Jane stalking her "daughter" was her at her utmost Type-Aness, Alex and Penny regressing back to their high school selves so they could hang with the cool girls was the right amount of nutty and bittersweet, and Max was just being Max. Plus, I'm a sucker for Cocktail references.

GRADE: B+

American Horror Story: "Pilot"

All of the Internet big wigs kept talking about how Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's American Horror Story was a trainwreck and how it was the worst new show of the season, so of course I had to check it out. Now, I'll agree that the pilot had way too much going on, and I couldn't tell if the "horror story" was supposed to be marriage or being a teenager, but it wasn't horrible. Connie Britton was great as always, and there were some interesting ideas thrown at the wall, but none of it was especially scary. Since Ryan Murphy is my crack dealer, I'll probably check out a few more episodes before making up my mind.

GRADE: C-

Thursday
The Vampire Diaries: "Disturbing Behavior"

I cannot say that "Disturbing Behavior" was as good as the first three episodes of Season 3, but there was still a lot to like. First off, Caroline was straight up bad ass tonight because she was either smacking Damon around, saving her anti-vampire father, or telling Elena what's up. Just when I thought I couldn't love her anymore. Another favorite made a comeback as well, as Anna finally made contact with Jeremy to continue what's become one of the more interesting story lines of the year. Too bad Bonnie had to come back. Let's not forget Damon's attempt to be bad again and the twist involving Alaric at the end. Good stuff, but parts felt like filler (mostly everything that involved Stefen, Klaus, and Rebekah).

GRADE: B-

Community: "Competitive Ecology"

I don't know how many more passes I can give Community after watching "Competitive Ecology". The episode was close to unwatchable thanks to a bloated and humorless Chang story, but was topped off with a Study Group story that only shined a light on what horrible people they are. Add to that the fact the the night's biggest laugh wasn't even a part of the episode (the end tag about Britta's psych evals), and you get the picture. Every week I watch Community to see if it will become one of "the best comedies on TV", and every week I'm let down. It has to be the most over-rated under-rated show of all time.

GRADE: D+

Parks and Recreation: "Born and Raised"

Originally, I wasn't planning on including Parks and Rec because I like the show but I find myself with little to write about. Then, "Born and Raised" happened and I remembered how special this show can be. Out of the four distinct stories, the only one that fell a little flat was the main one about Leslie and where she was born. It wasn't bad per se, but Ann trying to connect with Ron and April, and Ben and Tom dealing with the crazy talk show lady were responsible for the majority of the laughs (oh and Andy was too). Parks and Rec can be too wacky sometimes, but at least I enjoy watching these characters unlike Community's study group. Solid episode from start to finish.

GRADE: B+

Friday
Nikita: "Knightfall"

This week's Nikita did a good job at showing what Division can be capable of. Having Nikita track down one of the people she was supposed to kill while a part of Division, but who she let live just to have him become a puppet for the organization she despised added some intrigue. It was an example of how good intentions can go bad which is always an entertaining concept. "Knightfall" also showed fans the lengths that Alex would go to to avenge her father and how Amanda can manipulate her. While there was some good spy stuff going on, it was the relationships between Nikita, Michael, and Birkoff that was most impressive. I'm really liking this trio.

GRADE: B

Supernatural: "The Girl Next Door"

I could have cared less about all of the Leviathan stuff that was going on during "The Girl Next Door" because I was distracted by the idea of seeing Jewel Staite on Supernatural. What was even better was the fact that they wrote her into a flashback story that involved Sam which added to the tension. You know what else added to the tension? Dean's actions at the end of the episode. I don't want to give it away, but I wasn't expecting that to happen, and I'm very interested to see how it will come back to bite him. And yes, the picture's not from Supernatural, but can you blame me?

GRADE: B-

With the exception of a few shows that could not live up to the hype (mostly those on CBS), it was a pretty good week of television.