Here is this week's TV Report Card. It's a little incomplete, so I apologize but I wanted to get it out in a sensible amount of time.
Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "Trilogy Time"
What Worked: I'm not hating Quinn, so I was glad that the writers are keeping her around for a little while longer, but I think that has something to do with the fact that I'm so anti-Robin and Barney. While I'm sure that other couple will be end-game, I like the diversion for now.
What Didn't Work: My tolerance for this show's so diminished that I didn't really care for this episode even though I should have. The whole flash-forward joke got old extremely fast, and I found most of the jokes to be either too broad or flat. Heck, even the patented schmaltzy HIMYM fake-out ending irked me more than anything because it was more of the same bullshit.
GRADE: D
Being Human: "It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To"
What Worked: Apparently, I like it when this show goes really dark and depressing because the sight of Sally shredding herself and Aidan being buried alive really stuck with me. These moments, along with the Mexican standoff between Nora and Ray were standard cliffhanger tricks, but I am genuinely excited to see how these three characters are brought back together.
What Didn't Work: All of the new characters were largely misses in my opinion, so I didn't care much when Suren was staked by Mother (one of the worst villains ever) or when Henry was hanging from a hook in a basement. While I understand the roles they played throughout the season, they just didn't make an impact on me. Let's hope we're done with them for good, but oh how I doubt that.
GRADE: B-
Smash: "Understudy"
What Worked: I actually liked the moment between Karen and Derek in her apartment because Kat McPhee has more chemistry with Jack Davenport than she has with anyone else. I'm sure we're in for a Karen/Derek pairing, and I wouldn't really mind it because these two could be good for one another. I also didn't mind watching Eileen struggle to find investors (except for the bar tender's pile of cash under the bar).
What Didn't Work: This episode had so many thing to dislike about it like: the music, Ivy's "Marilyn" hair, Ivy's scheme to oust Karen, Dev being all jealous and insecure, Julia's estranged marriage, pretty much everything about Julia, Leo, the extremely forced love triangle between Tom and the two other guys, the caty chorus members, Uma Thurman, and so many other things that I'm probably forgetting about. Man, I love to hate this show.
GRADE: D
Tuesday
Glee: "Big Brother"
What Worked: For the first time in a while, I didn't hate everything that Sue gave us. Sure, I'm still not a fan of her pregnancy arc, but I liked most of the beats she played during this episode, and I'm not immediately disliking her helping out New Directions and her possible change in attitude. Also, Matt Bomer was the best thing to happen to Glee because I loved Cooper Anderson and the sheer absurdity he brought to Lima.
What Didn't Work: Since I was in the "Quinn Hast to Die" camp, I was a little irked that the writers decided to put her in a wheelchair instead of knocking her off because it felt like a cop out. Ditto for the fact that they're still going to give her the chance to walk by season's end. Just commit already! I didn't really care for this week's music either, but that's a minor complaint.
GRADE: B-
Cougar Town: "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
What Worked: Like most episodes of Cougar Town, I found myself only caring about the stories that involved the guys. While the end of Bobby's relationship with Sarah Chalke was inevitable, and a little bit cliched, it was still nice seeing him grow as a character. I even liked watching Grayson regress to his modeling days thanks to the 90's drawer, but nothing beat the shot of them doing a triple-heel tap in Zubaz.
What Didn't Work: Everything involving the women. I've realized that no matter how many chances I give this show, I will always hate Jules with every fiber of my being, and I'll never be able to get passed it. The shot of Travis eating yogurt off of her fingers literally made me cringe and was too much for me to handle. I might actually have to stop watching this show altogether because of that one joke. I hate it that much. Ellie tricking Laurie with the Simon wasn't as bad, but not really funny either.
GRADE: D
New Girl: "Normal"
What Worked: This show works best when it focuses less on the love lives of the characters and just let's them hang out. I loved all of the True American scenes, and I was glad that they tried something new with Nick, Schmidt and Winston. Speaking of the latter, I don't think the show got enough mileage out of him as a nanny, and I'm going to miss seeing him hanging out with the little kid, but the split was inevitable.
What Didn't Work: Even though watching Russell trying to hang with Jess' friends and their mini-fight were amusing, those moments paled in comparison to everything else that was going on. And like I mentioned earlier, I'm not finding their love lives as interesting as all of their friendships, so it needs to focus more on silly drinking games and less on romantic angst.
GRADE: B
Justified: "Slaughterhouse"
What Worked: Raylan had some interesting things to do during this episode as he hunted down the person who was responsible for killing Trooper Tom, but he was probably the only real standout of the season finale. Admittedly, he got some good scenes with Limehouse, Quarles, Boyd, Arlo and Winona, but the rest of the episode was a little anti-climactic.
What Didn't Work: Honestly, I was a little annoyed with how the season ended. After weeks of building up to this epic showdown between Raylan and Quarles, the bad guy ended up being taken out by Limehouse and one of his lackeys. Don't get me started on his arm getting hacked off. Having Quarles' end in that fashion didn't do his character any favors, and I felt like the whole season was a giant tease which is odd since I really didn't care for him in the first place.
GRADE: C+
Wednesday
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23: "Pilot"
What Worked: I've said over and over again on "The Small Screen Podcast" that I'm a fan of actors making fun of themselves, so I pretty much love everything James Van Der Beek brings to Apartment 23. While the rest of the pilot was decent, he really took things to another level, and I'll be watching because of him alone (although I do like what Krysten Ritter's bringing).
What Didn't Work: I think I would've liked this show more if it had premiered at the start of the season so it didn't feel like a rip-off of New Girl and 2 Broke Girls, but that's not the show's fault. As of right now, I don't really care much about Dreama Walker's character, but I'm willing to give her time.
GRADE: B-
Thursday
Community: "Origins of Vampire Mythology"
What Worked: I really enjoyed watching Britta go crazy over the return of her carney ex-boyfriend and how that affected her relationship with Annie. Speaking of relationships, I'm glad they brought back the idea of a possible Britta and Troy pairing.
What Didn't Work: Pierce and Chang were a waste of time, but at least they didn't take up too much of it. For the most part, Jeff's sub-plot was serviceable, but I was a little bummed that it made him regress as a character. I did love watching him interact with Shirley though.
GRADE: B
Friday
Grimm: "Love Sick"
What Worked: I'm still loving Rosalie's addition to the team, so I really enjoyed it every time we got to see her and Monroe work together. The only complaint I had about these two, had more to do with Nick. It seems like every time he needs help from them, he kinda acts like a jerk and I end up not liking him which works against the show. Luckily, Eddie and Rosalie don't let it bother them, but this could be a problem down the road.
What Didn't Work: Like I mentioned before, the whole Hank and Adalind arc really hasn't been working for me as much as I would've thought, so I'm glad that it finally came to an end. I don't think we're done with Adalind by a long shot based on how her story ended, and I can see her joining forces with Nick before the series is up. Also, I'm still not feeling Juliette, and unfortunately she still needs to go.
GRADE: B
As you can see, I did not include Modern Family or 30 Rock because I haven't had the chance to watch them this week. I might add them later if I ever get around to watching them. Check back if you'd like.
Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "Trilogy Time"
What Didn't Work: My tolerance for this show's so diminished that I didn't really care for this episode even though I should have. The whole flash-forward joke got old extremely fast, and I found most of the jokes to be either too broad or flat. Heck, even the patented schmaltzy HIMYM fake-out ending irked me more than anything because it was more of the same bullshit.
GRADE: D
Being Human: "It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To"
What Didn't Work: All of the new characters were largely misses in my opinion, so I didn't care much when Suren was staked by Mother (one of the worst villains ever) or when Henry was hanging from a hook in a basement. While I understand the roles they played throughout the season, they just didn't make an impact on me. Let's hope we're done with them for good, but oh how I doubt that.
GRADE: B-
Smash: "Understudy"
What Didn't Work: This episode had so many thing to dislike about it like: the music, Ivy's "Marilyn" hair, Ivy's scheme to oust Karen, Dev being all jealous and insecure, Julia's estranged marriage, pretty much everything about Julia, Leo, the extremely forced love triangle between Tom and the two other guys, the caty chorus members, Uma Thurman, and so many other things that I'm probably forgetting about. Man, I love to hate this show.
GRADE: D
Tuesday
Glee: "Big Brother"
What Didn't Work: Since I was in the "Quinn Hast to Die" camp, I was a little irked that the writers decided to put her in a wheelchair instead of knocking her off because it felt like a cop out. Ditto for the fact that they're still going to give her the chance to walk by season's end. Just commit already! I didn't really care for this week's music either, but that's a minor complaint.
GRADE: B-
Cougar Town: "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
What Didn't Work: Everything involving the women. I've realized that no matter how many chances I give this show, I will always hate Jules with every fiber of my being, and I'll never be able to get passed it. The shot of Travis eating yogurt off of her fingers literally made me cringe and was too much for me to handle. I might actually have to stop watching this show altogether because of that one joke. I hate it that much. Ellie tricking Laurie with the Simon wasn't as bad, but not really funny either.
GRADE: D
New Girl: "Normal"
What Didn't Work: Even though watching Russell trying to hang with Jess' friends and their mini-fight were amusing, those moments paled in comparison to everything else that was going on. And like I mentioned earlier, I'm not finding their love lives as interesting as all of their friendships, so it needs to focus more on silly drinking games and less on romantic angst.
GRADE: B
Justified: "Slaughterhouse"
What Didn't Work: Honestly, I was a little annoyed with how the season ended. After weeks of building up to this epic showdown between Raylan and Quarles, the bad guy ended up being taken out by Limehouse and one of his lackeys. Don't get me started on his arm getting hacked off. Having Quarles' end in that fashion didn't do his character any favors, and I felt like the whole season was a giant tease which is odd since I really didn't care for him in the first place.
GRADE: C+
Wednesday
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23: "Pilot"
What Didn't Work: I think I would've liked this show more if it had premiered at the start of the season so it didn't feel like a rip-off of New Girl and 2 Broke Girls, but that's not the show's fault. As of right now, I don't really care much about Dreama Walker's character, but I'm willing to give her time.
GRADE: B-
Thursday
Community: "Origins of Vampire Mythology"
What Didn't Work: Pierce and Chang were a waste of time, but at least they didn't take up too much of it. For the most part, Jeff's sub-plot was serviceable, but I was a little bummed that it made him regress as a character. I did love watching him interact with Shirley though.
GRADE: B
Friday
Grimm: "Love Sick"
What Didn't Work: Like I mentioned before, the whole Hank and Adalind arc really hasn't been working for me as much as I would've thought, so I'm glad that it finally came to an end. I don't think we're done with Adalind by a long shot based on how her story ended, and I can see her joining forces with Nick before the series is up. Also, I'm still not feeling Juliette, and unfortunately she still needs to go.
GRADE: B
As you can see, I did not include Modern Family or 30 Rock because I haven't had the chance to watch them this week. I might add them later if I ever get around to watching them. Check back if you'd like.
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