TV Report Card: Week of February 12, 2012

Another week of sweeps means another busy week of TV watching, so let's get to it. Here is this week's TV Report Card:

Sunday
The Walking Dead: "Nebraska"

So far, Season 2 of AMC's The Walking Dead has been hit or miss because it's relied too much on exposition and arguments about morality and faith and not enough on character development and plot. "Nebraska" was the chance for this show to turn things around, and while we got more of the same stuff that we had to sit through during the first half of the season, I did see some forward momentum. Rick was able to shift from being a man of words to one of action in that final bar scene which made me hopeful that we're in for some better episodes. Unfortunately, everything that happened outside of the bar was more wheelspinning and stupid moves from unsympathetic characters which could be this show's undoing.

GRADE: B-

Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "The Drunk Train"

Since I'm a fan of the Ted and Robin relationship, you'd think I would've liked "The Drunk Train" because of the way it ended. The opposite is actually true; I was not too pleased with the way the episode left things mostly because it smells like yet another swerve from the writers, and I'm tried of the games. Now, I'm still delusional enough to believe that Ted and Robin will end up together when it's all said and done, but throwing them into each other again at this point in the story is just more of the same nonsense that we've had to deal with for the last couple of seasons. Aside from Ted and Robin, I cannot for the life of me remember what was going on with Lily and Marshall, but I did enjoy the few glimpses of Barney on the drunk train, and we'll have to see how this whole stripper angle's going to work out.

GRADE: D+

Being Human: "Addicted to Love"

Being Human once again was only able to make me care about some of this week's episode, and like always it was Aidan who was the weakest link, and at this point I don't think I'm ever going to be able to muster much emotion for him, but I did appreciate the additional backstory that we were given in regards to his history with Suren. On the flipside, I was very intrigued by Sally's addiction to possessing people, but seeing her get all freaky with the doctor was a little unsettling. The Josh and Nora plot about how he's trying to find a cure for her and how she may not even want one since she's starting to embrace the wolf has a lot of potential as well, and I was just glad that the siblings stuck around for a little while longer.

GRADE: B

Castle: "Pandora"

One thing that Castle does well is the two-part episodes (especially the ones that bring in the feds), and "Pandora" was another strong effort although it was not as good as its predecessors like "Tick, Tick, Tick." I'm usually a fan of when either Rick and Kate gets a little jealous when someone gets in between them, so I was happy that the Jennifer Beals character ruffled some feathers, but we need to move on at this point because the charm's starting to wear off. I understand that there's going to be a little bit of tension between them, but you'd think that they'd be able to be more honest with one another at this point, and we did see a little bit of growth from Beckett, but it's starting to get tedious. Andrew Marlowe either needs to put them together or keep them a part at this point because enough is enough. On a positive note, I did enjoy the spy elements, and I can already see a spin-off based on Sophia Conrad, but I said the same thing about Special Agent Shaw.

GRADE: B-


Lost Girl: "Dead Lucky"

I'm starting to wonder if Lost Girl is my kind of show or not. On paper, it should be since I like supernatural crime procedurals, but my affection for the genre's starting to wear thin because I really wasn't all that impressed with "Dead Lucky." I did like the fae who fed off of people's luck, and I'm sure we're going to get more glimpses into the dark fae side of the world, but up until now it's just your standard fae-of-the-week set up and it's not enough for me. We need more intel about the war between the fae and less time spent on Bo and Dyson's twisted friends with benefits situation, and it needs to happen now. The more Lost Girl I watch, the more I start to think that Grimm stole its playbook because they both have similar pacing problems, but there's still enough there to keep me around for now.

GRADE: C+


Smash: "The Callback"

I'll give Smash some credit; I'm glad that they picked their Marilyn so early on in the show's run because it would have gotten stale if they dragged it out. I'll also say that I liked "The Callback" a little more than the pilot, but I still do not care about any of these characters, and things were not helped by the idiotic choices and plotlines that they were involved in. For example, Karen could have taken two seconds to text her boyfriend. Hell, she could have done it while walking into the freaking studio, but of course she didn't because there needed to be a reason for them to get into a fight. Also, the whole adoption storyline took a massive step backward with Debra Messing's stupid letter and her son's need to rescue a Chinese baby. From what I've been reading online, episode three's even worse, so there's a chance I'll be cutting bait after this week. We'll have to wait and see.

GRADE: C

Tuesday
Glee: "Heart"

Now that we've put "The Spanish Teacher" behind us, we can move on and hope that Glee's able to rebound. Last season's "Silly Love Songs" was one of the better episodes, so "Heart" already had the deck stacked against it, but I found it enjoyable enough. I'm still on quite sure how I feel about the Finchel engagement because I cannot see them going through with it, but I've said the same thing about other questionable storylines, so you never know. What was also questionable was the new love triangle between Sugar, Rory and Artie, but my hesitations had more to do with the fact that I don't believe that Sugar would ever find Artie attractive. On the plus side, I liked where Samcedes is headed, and I actually liked the God Squad. Plus, I'm always a fan of when Karofsky shows up. Team Kurtofsky!

GRADE: B-

Cougar Town: "Ain't Love Strange"

This is probably going to bring some heat down on me, but I was not a fan of the Season 3 premiere of Cougar Town. I've said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it, but I hate Jules. She does not have any redeemable qualities in my opinion, so I tuned out every time I was forced to care about her during "Ain't Love Strange." I also don't care very much for Laurie and Ellie, so the B-plot about the latter's kid was also a bore. The only shining light was the Bobby and Travis' C-plot because I only watch this show for the guys at this point. The episode wasn't that funny either except for the green screen and Grayson's song (which is the same song he always sings but with new lyrics). I know that I'm supposed to love this show, but I have a feeling that my loyalties are going to be tested this season.

GRADE: C

New Girl: "Valentine's Day"

Oddly enough, Jess and Schmidt have become one of my favorite on-screen pairings of the season, so "Valentine's Day" was one of the better episodes of New Girl. The mere idea of Jess hitting the town for a one-night stand with Schmidt as her wingman was worth the price of admission, and the addition of CeCe only made things better. Seeing them tutor her on how to get some strange was the right mix of naughty and nice, and what really worked was how they genuinely cared about her. It also didn't hurt that Schmidt and CeCe finally gave into their lust for one another, and I can't wait to see what the fallout is going to be but it could be tricky. Everything else, Nick/Julia and Winston working on getting a second chance, added some fun elements, but this one was all about the Jess/Schmidt/CeCe trio.

GRADE: B+

Justified: "Thick as Mud"

When "Thick as Mud" started, I didn't think that I was going to like it because the whole torture porn vibe threw me off, and it didn't fit within the world of Justified, but it became one of the better episodes once the ball got rolling. Having Raylan and Rachel trail Dewey Crowe's crime spree worked better than it should have, and I credit all of the dark humor that was involved. Adding Psych's Maggie Lawson was another reason why I liked this one, and I hope that her character's not dead because she had some great chemistry with Timothy Olyphant. Even Quarles didn't irk me as much as he usually does because I thought that his sit down meeting with Boyd Crowder was some of this show's best work. I have to praise Justified for taking a story that shouldn't have worked and making it one of the season's better episodes.

GRADE: B+

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Aunt Mommy"

On one hand I have to give Modern Family credit for coming up with one of the oddest episodes ever because they at least tried to do something new. On the other, "Aunt Mommy" was the oddest episode ever. The Jay/Claire/Cam/Mitchell plot about Claire donating an egg so the boys could have a baby that was part Pritchett and part Tucker was just so out there and icky that it was hard to take seriously, but that was the point, so I suppose it was a success. I just can't believe that the Emmy and Golden Globe winning comedy went there. Everything else was the same old mediocre stuff that I've come to expect from this show like the boring Jay/Gloria/Manny plot which we've seen countless times before. Who knew a demented story about Claire being both mother and aunt to her brother's child would be the highlight of the episode?

GRADE: C+

Happy Endings: "Everybody Loves Grant"

I'm still going on record with my assertion that Happy Endings is the best comedy on television, and after Cougar Town wiffed on during its return, I'm still comfortable saying that. The thing is, even the best shows have their off days, and "Everybody Loves Grant" was one of those. In the past, Happy Endings has had episodes that were not as funny as others, but this one was the first one to make me feel uncomfortable. Everyone fawning over Grant and Dave's childish behavior got old fast, and the arguments over couples friends was also a dud. These plots just made everyone seem needy and clueless, and the fact that they didn't learn anything by episode's end was also annoying. Thankfully, we did get some good scenes between Max and Alex, and that pairings becoming my favorite.

GRADE: C+

Thursday
The Vampire Diaries: "All My Children"

Honestly, it's getting hard for me to keep tabs on everything that's been going on in Mystic Falls. I'm still trying to remember why Stefan and Klaus are fighting, and I'm trying to wrap my head around the Originals and why they have to die. It's all getting a little too twisty for me, but that's not to say that the show's suffering. I just need to re-watch episodes to make sure I'm keeping things straight. Speaking of the Originals, there was a moment there that I thought that just watching them live in a house and coexisting with one another could make for an interesting show since they're always stabbing each other in the back and fighting, but that idea would probably get tired fast. "All My Children" did have a few weak spots like Elena being put in danger again, Bonnie and her mother showing up on my screen, and Alaric possibly dying for the tenth time this season, but I'm sure I can deal. Plus, we got some more of Caroline and Klaus, so that kept me happy for most of the episode.

GRADE: B-

30 Rock: "The Tuxedo Begins"

I really haven't been too pleased with the new season of 30 Rock, so I'm hoping that "The Tuxedo Begins" was the start of a resurgence for the show. Any episode that riffs on the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise while also giving us some good Liz and Jack interactions has to rank up there as one of the better installments, and I enjoyed this one from start to finish. I didn't even mind the B-plot about Jenna and Paul thinking about settling down and becoming a somewhat normal couple, but I'm sure her sexual walk-about will be the source of some crazy storylines down the way. At least for now, the promise of a more subdued Jenna has me on board for now.

GRADE: B+

Archer: "Lo Scandalo"

There was a time when I wasn't a big fan of shows that were insane for the sake of being crazy, and then I started watching Archer. Once I got hooked on this show, it was hard not to appreciated the off-the-walls antics that theses characters were responsible for, and "Lo Scandalo" was it at its finest. The whole murder mystery about whether or not Malory killed the Italian prime minister was genius, and while I'm usually not a fan of when everyone from ISIS is brought in on a story I did think they were used well this time around. What was even better was the fact that this episode was also used to build character and push one of the main story arcs (Archer's father) forward. Pretty great stuff.

GRADE: A

Friday
Nikita: "Origins"

My allegiance to Nikita is beginning to waiver because it's starting to really push this whole "Alex as Anastasia" arc a little to much in my opinion. Since the start of Season 2, I've been becoming less and less interested in Alex and her need for revenge, so the fact that she's now risen from the dead to take over her the family business has me worried. I'm hoping that the writers can reinvigorate this story and get me caring again, but for now I'm hesitant. Also, I'm still not sure I'm on board with Carla being a founder of Division, but I did like to see how the organization was born and having her partnering with Percy could make things interesting.

GRADE: B-

Spartacus: Vengeance: "Empty Hands"

While "Empty Hands" was not as strong as "The Greater Good," it still had plenty of satisfying character beats to make up for the some what lackluster action scenes. Everything that happened in the forest was exciting because of all of the fighting that took place, but they started to repeat themselves, and I for one did not think that they had any emotional stakes involved. What made this episode work was the happenings that were taking place back in Capua as both Glaber and Ilithyia tried to maneuver themselves into higher positions during a celebration that reminded us how brutal this world can be. Sure, we got the show's trademark sex and violence, but once again the character moments outshined everything else that was going on, but I'm sure most people will still not give Spartacus its due credit.

GRADE: B+

As you can see, I've left 2 Broke Girls off of the Report Card, and I did so for two reasons. First, the Report Card was becoming overstuffed and something had to give, so I benched it. Secondly, I was getting tired of writing the exact same review over and over again. Maybe 2BG will be able to redefine itself while the season progresses, so it may return, but until then I'm OK with having it on the bench.