Bryan's Not Lyin'

I’ve been away for a while due to traveling and other projects, but have no fear.  I have been keeping up with all of my television.  I mean, who would I be without Marshall and Lily, Booth and Bones, Castle and Beckett, and the House of Stark?  I know not!

Now that we are inching closer to the plethora of season finale episodes, I think it’s a good time to assess where we are in each series and where it’s going. 

So, here we go:

30 Rock: A really strong season so far.  Plot and character are actually being dealt with as the jokes keep coming.  Also, Paul McCartney appeared.  Enough said.  Prediction: Jack and Avery get a divorce.

Bones: I am such a sucker for Booth, Bones, and the Jeffersonian crew.  I want to be a squint.  Even without the will they/won’t they chemistry, I still enjoy them every solving these crazy cases. NOW WITH A BABY!? WOAH CRAZY!  Prediction: Angela gets pregnant again and we see randomly see Zack Addy again (I would love that).

Bored to Death: BRING IT BACK. (oh well. I tried)

Breaking Bad: COME BACK ALREADY! (Wait, did that work?)

Castle: Oh MAN! I CAN’T WAIT FOR MONDAY!!!!!!! These two love birds twist my stomach into knots every week.  This season has been excellent as far as I’m concerned.  Some great murder plots of the week coupled with killer character moments, this season can only get better with the finale. Prediction: I will cry.  Too much.

Chuck: I already cried… I MISS YOU.

Community: For what has been a hit or miss season, the hits have been some of the best episodes that the show has ever produced (I’m looking at you Law and Order/Pillow Documentary episodes).  The dean has become a welcome regular, but Chang is just, well… forced. Prediction: Six Seasons and a Movie.

Eastbound and Down: I love this show as much as the next person who… well, loves this show, but I felt like they weren’t trying this season.  At times I felt like everybody involved just phoned in this season so they could move onto other projects.  Granted, I laughed frequently, but passion and a less repetitive structure were missing.  Plus, the last episode was only just fine when it could have been something more.  You’re Fucking Out.

Game of Thrones: There really isn’t much I can say about something that’s perfect.  Prediction: It doesn’t stop being perfect and Alan Taylor makes an amazing Thor 2.

House: For the past few seasons, I’ve watched this tv schedule staple as an obligation.  However, so far this season I’ve been really enjoying what I’ve been given.  While it’s stay has been long over welcome, I’m glad it’s going out on a semi high note this May.  Prediction: Wilson dies.  Then House dies.  And they’re in Hell and Wilson says, ” I just can’t shake you.” House says, “Don’t worry enternity isn’t that long.  Is it hot in here or is it just me.” Blackout!

How I Met Your Mother: This is the #1 hit or miss show during my week and it’s more miss as of late.  I love these characters so much that I will never stop watching, but I’m bordering on LOST feelings:  I don’t care anymore.  End so I can move on.  Prediction: It doesn’t end and I stop caring, yet keep watching.

Justified: It wasn’t as good as Season 2, but boy was it superb.  The writers know their characters better than anybody else as the last scene displayed.  This is a true TV treasure that most people aren’t watching. Prediction: Season 4 is outrageous and brilliant like the other 3 seasons.

Mad Men: Great season made better by the actors.  The change we think we see in Don is really fantastic to watch.  MVP: John “LSD” Slattery.  That is all.  Prediction: Yeah, like any of us can guess what it gonna happen next.

New Girl: I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love these characters/writers/jokes/moments/end tags/EVERYTHING.  THEY’VE NEVER SEEN SAVED BY THE BELL AND HAVE NEVER FELT REAL PAIN.  The constant one liners are music to my abs every week.  Prediction: I get unacceptably depressed when I have to wait a year for more Nick and Schmidt.

Parenthood: I miss my family.

Parks and Recreation: Perfection.  See Game of Thrones above.  If you haven’t watched this you need to TREAT YOURSELF! Paul Rudd’s cameos have been a dead on addition.  Prediction: She loses.

Royal Pains: Gulity pleasure.  I LOVE YOU DR. HANK!

The Big Bang Theory: Say what you want, but I laugh every week.  On a good week, it hurts a little and it’s usually Jim Parsons that will make me roll out of my favorite part of the couch.  Prediction: Sheldon and Amy do it… (tee hee)

The Big C: It’s a sitcom written as a cancer dramedy.  I laugh every week, but don’t get emotionally involved all the time.  I also dislike Cathy most of the time, but I LOVE Paul all of the time.  Prediction: Meh.  The people at the bar find out she’s lying?

The Killing: I don’t watch you anymore because you suck.  Prediction: It keeps on sucking.

The Office: OBSOLETE. No small funny moment can make up for what this show has become. I watch it out of obligation and that may end soon.  Prediction: It doesn’t get better and somehow stays highest rated sitcom on NBC.

The Walking Dead: An up and down season ended on a fantastic last few episodes that get me SO excited for next season.  Prediction: The show never gets bad again.

Up All Night: A highly successful first season.  It was so much fun to watch it evolve from a show not fully understanding it’s own balance to what we saw in the finale.  Total Eclipse of the Heart has never been so moving.  Prediction: Season 2 is mediore and I still watch cause I love Chris and Reagan. 

Well, there you have it.  Which finale are you most excited for? cough*CASTLE*cough.  Let me know!

Keep On Watchin’!

-Bryan

One thing about The Good Wife…Occam’s Razor does not apply.  The simplest hypothesis rarely wins out on this show…which is part of why I love it so much week after week.  There is always something to keep me on my toes.
The newest offering of The Good Wife, entitled “Bitcoin for Dummies,” centered around a main case involving a lawyer defending the anonymity of his client “Mr. Bitcoin,” who developed a new online currency (or is it a commodity?  Objection!…Sustained), and is being hunted by the Treasury Department.  Jason Biggs guest starred as the lawyer attempting to protect his source…in a guest starring role that I was very excited to see come about.
I’ll admit it…I find Jason Biggs very likeable.  I was rooting for his sitcom (whose name I’ve already forgotten, unfortunately…wait, I looked it up – it was called “Mad Love”) with Sarah Chalke to take off, because I like them both…and it had Judy Greer.  Unfortunately, it went to the television network in the sky.  Fortunately, Jason Biggs was charming in his guest role in this episode.  (PS…I totally called it that Jason Biggs was going to turn out to be “Mr. Bitcoin.”  Of course, I didn’t see it coming that the other two computer geeks would be involved as well, but hey…like I said – Occam’s Razor does not apply.
Back to awesome guest stars…BOB BALABAN!  No lie…every time Bob Balaban appears on my TV  screen, I want him to get behind a piano and immediately start playing “Stool Boom” from ‘Waiting for Guffman’…even though that wouldn’t have worked out for this show, it would have been EPIC.  He did well as the fusty opposing council, and it was a pleasure to see him on my TV again…even if it wasn’t in Blaine, MO.
People I love:
Elsbeth.  I simply LOVE Elsbeth.  It is such a joy to watch the cool, guarded exterior of Cary Agos and Wendy Scott-Carr be toyed with every time Elsbeth Tascioni takes the screen.  What a great character to add a little lightness to the heavy situation of Will’s troubles.  (PS…I would TOTALLY go with Diane to visit Will in prison every Friday.  Wasn’t that little aside between them wonderful?  Love them.)
Kalinda and Will: The silent conversation between Kalinda and Will was amazing.  Will’s complete trust that Kalinda will do what she does best and take care of the sticky situation in that file set us up perfectly for the moment of shock when she turned the file over to the loathsome Dana Lodge.
Alicia: I love watching her kick ass in the courtroom.  And the preview for next episode?  AWESOME.  Two words…”Arrest me.”  Alicia would NEVER turn on Will.  Which is why they are amazing and need to get back together immediately.  Well…not immediately…but come on, it’s got to be the end game…right?  RIGHT?!
People I hate (but still kind of love in an “I respect your awesome character…but I hate that you’re a douche” kind of way):
Dastardly Dana Lodge: NO!!!  The nefarious Dana Lodge has really done it this time.  To make Kalinda choose between protecting Alicia and protecting Will?  Unacceptable.  Genius…but unacceptable.  But here’s what I don’t get…they ruled in the last case that the document of Alicia’s that they found is legal…so how can they try to use it as evidence against Alicia?!  And does Peter know this is happening?  Regardless…I’ve always worried that the sinister Dana Lodge will end up being Kalinda’s downfall…which in turn will lead to Will’s downfall, now that Will has made Kalinda his confidant.  I’m also hoping that Cary intervenes or that Kalinda outsmarts her before there’s too much damage, especially now that Kalinda has betrayed Will’s confidence to save Alicia.  I’m just going to hold out hope that Kalinda somehow doctored the files she gave to the horrible Dana Lodge…or at least did something to lessen the damning evidence against our sweet Will Gardner.
Ugh…Jackie.  This episode is full of evil-doers with her lurking around again.  Kind of hilarious that she and Alicia are on the same side about something, though…and that Zach is a chip of the old block – using Alicia’s hatred for Jackie to get what he wants (more time with Nisa.)  I missed Grace a bit in this episode…I’ve grown to like Alicia’s kids more and more…as long as they’re not running out to get baptized in some back room like crazy folk.
Awesome lines of the night:
“But he’s not going to pay us in bitcoin, is he?”
“And I must say…I am a sucker for Occam’s Razor.”
“I like Will…and I go back and forth on you.”
I’m looking forward to the new episode in two weeks…it looks like Will’s trial will be starting…and it’s going to be a doozy.  I’ll be hanging on to hope for my favorite stoic and handsome lawyer’s ultimate triumph over the forces of evil (namely Wendy Scott-Carr and the pernicious Dana Lodge).  I’m also looking forward to meeting Will’s sisters – namely, Merritt Weaver, who I love (hey – if you were in ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,’ you’re a winner in my book!)  Should be interesting.   Until then…
Keep on Watchin’!

~Kelly

Tonight’s episode of Parks and Recreation entitled “The Comeback Kid” took us inside the early days of the Knope 2012 campaign…and though it wasn’t pretty, it sure was funny.

Ann Meredith Perkins…campaign manager?  She has never resuscitated a human heart in her bare hands, and she certainly didn’t do much to resuscitate the Knope campaign.  Not for lack of trying…but clearly, this campaign needs someone with experience reigning in the stable of crazies involved.  Gee…I wonder who could fill that void?  With his credentials as “Kid President” (I miss you, Jean Ralphio), clearly Ben would be the perfect choice to be Leslie’s campaign manager, and I’m so thankful that the end result of this episode was to bring him on board to lead the campaign, giving him the chance to rejoin his City Hall mates in an official as well as personal capacity.

Before he agreed to be Leslie’s new campaign manager, though…Ben was busy wallowing in jobless depression.  Or, more accurately…losing his mind, filming “claymash” and making calzones.   Having Ben off in his own little world was so much fun, and it was also a great way to use Chris Traeger (and his herb belt), as a contrast to Ben’s manic defense that he wasn’t depressed.  Ben’s mini-breakdown was as amazing as his “Letters to Cleo” tshirt…and I for one would totally visit the “Lo-Cal Calzone Zone” as long as he was in charge.

April was the MVP of this episode for me.  Beyond the many zingers she had in this episode, the moment where the cop said that she was trying to get the “gimpy dog” to bite him and the camera panned to April egging on Champion the three-legged dog…amazing.  

Things that literally made me laugh out loud:

“Ann…don’t listen to your head or your heart.  Just look at my eyes and say yes.”

“Are most murders committed by highly trained professional assassins?  No.  They’re committed by friends and coworkers.”

“My mother’s butt?  That’s helpful.”

“Be a man and sit on that girl’s lap!”

Ben’s simple “hi” to the three-legged dog.

Tom’s red carpet insoles

Champion the three-legged dog peeing on Ron

“Get on Your Feet” is perhaps the greatest campaign song EVER.

My only criticisms:

I do not like Andy in the office setting.  He loses a bit of his sparkle for some reason.

Okay, look…if Leslie was truly as beloved as they keep showing her to be, I still argue that there is no WAY she would only be polling at 1%.  She just needs to give one of her off-the-cuff and from the heart speeches and she’ll be fine.  I’m sure with Ben Wyatt now at the helm of her campaign, we’ll be in for a fantastic race…one filled with laughter and heart, just like Parks and Recreation.

Keep on Watchin’!

~Kelly

Welcome Back 30 Rock.

It’s been too long and we welcome you back with open arms.  After season 5 being very forgettable, season 6 looks like it can be as memorable as season 2 or 3.

Thursday’s episode was just… well funny.  Great one liners, interesting plot points, and outrageous character moments all shaped out what was a nice way to start the season.

Favorite one liners:

*Flaming Horses

*”In the words of my father, You Deserve To Be Disappointed, Merry Christmas.”

*Present Day Sally Fields

*So Much Grapevining

A few things:

I am so happy they dealt with Kim Jong Il with in the first minute.

I love Lincoln Center AMC.

The Liberty Dancer payoff is up there with Robin Sparkles.  I couldn’t stop laughing.

Well, I can’t wait for the rest of this season to get going! A boyfriend!? Jack made a mistake?! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!  All I have to do is start on the Bandito Blanco while ignoring my redundant torso material!

Keep on Watchin’!

-Bryan

First and foremost, we want to thank you all for taking time out of your day to read our posts.  Patrick, Kelly, and I truly appreciate it.

As we continue to post on our (and we hope your) favorite TV shows, a question arises in our heads: What show reviews are you reading?

We post on both popular shows and under the radar shows and want to hear some feed back from you.  PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS POST.

Which reviews do you read weekly?

Which reviews do you never read?

Which reviews do you think we should cut?

Should we be posting about a show that we don’t review (between the three of us, we watch everything)?

What is your favorite part of our blog? Worst?

What has been your favorite post recently?

Please, please, please give us feedback.  We want to really be as good as we can be and only you can help us.

Additionally, stay tuned this spring for season finale parties hosted by Bryansnotlyin.  You could even win VIP treatment at the Parenthood finale party… 

Keep on Watchin’!

-Bryan

I, like Dallas, am fixin’ to laser-engrave my own happiness into a glistening ball of crystal.  Well, my happiness was great tonight as I thoroughly enjoyed another great episode of Suburgatory.

Don’t you worry, George.  No matter what she says, I’m betting that that kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas was DEFINITELY about you and Dallas, and not just about the troubles with her husband, like she claims.  Tonight’s episode of Suburgatory entitled “Out in the Burbs” finally dealt with the aftermath of the George and Dallas Christmas kiss, as well as Tessa failing gaydar when her new friend at school turns out to be not a closeted gay high schooler…but an undercover narcotics detective.  I mean…anyone could make that mistake, right?  Hey – the undercover detective posing as a student thing happened on Veronica Mars, all right?  And while Tessa may be awesome, she’s no Veronica Mars, so I certainly don’t fault her for not seeing that curveball coming.  After I take a minute to once again mourn the loss of Veronica Mars, let’s break tonight’s episode down.

The great:

This show is the perfect mix of two “straight men” (ha – perfect wordplay considering this episode) tossed in a sea of crazy.  The colorful supporting cast in Chatswin is really what makes this show sparkle, just like Dallas’ engraved crystal paperweights.  (PS…weren’t they cool?  I’d totally buy one.)   The core of the show, of course, is the “straight man” duo of George and Tessa.  I love watching them relate to the craziness they encounter in characters like Dallas and Lisa.

Speaking of…I love Lisa so, so much.  The lunch table scene where she and Tessa disagree about Josh being gay was pure gold.  Lisa’s online renderings of her babies with Josh were super creepy and super funny…and Lisa’s conviction that she could “turn” Josh because “I’m ballsy enough to try” was hilarious.  (Side note:  I actually know a few people who have gone to a site just like that and gotten mash-up pictures of their possible babies with their significant others…and they’re JUST as creepy.)

Dallas was, once again, pitch-perfect.  I could tell you everything I liked about her character and her performance in this episode, but it would basically be a list of everything she said and did.  I’ll spare you.

Noah was actually on my good side tonight – his just joking/serious rant about his wife cracked me up.

It’s too bad that Dan Byrd can’t stick around, because a) I really like him and it’s nice getting the chance to watch him in action during the Cougar Town benching, and b) his character Josh had a great dynamic with Tessa that I really enjoyed watching.  Cheers for the “confessional” scene in the janitor’s closet.

I love that this show can get away with great lines like “I realized I shouldn’t be pulling anyone over on the homosexual highway.”  The show’s writing style is half of what’s so infectious about this show (the other half is the charismatic cast that delivers the lines so, so well.)

The undecided:

The melon scene in the supermarket?  A bit much.  This show is smarter than that.  Regardless, it made me giggle…but I expect more from a show this witty.

The not-so-much:  

This was the first use of the weird guidance teacher where I didn’t actively wish that the scene was over…at least for the first few moments where Tessa assumed he was gay.  After that…he lost me again.  This character just doesn’t do anything for me.  Another brief moment of slight amusement from him was his list of things he was free to like now that he’s gay – I did crack a smile when he got to Sondheim.

I wasn’t on board with Lisa dressing up like a guy.  It could have been funnier.

Best lines of the episode:

“The Shays are a litigious people.”

“After all this time in Suburbia, my gaydar was still as finely tuned as Liberace’s piano.”

“I gotta get out of this closet.”

And…the winning line of the episode of course belonged to Lisa, with: “Clay Aiken’s not gay, he’s just a tender soul.”

What’s to come:

I think George doth protest too much.  Clearly, he’s the one who’s having conflicted feelings about Dallas, though he’s not ready to admit it to himself yet.  And Dallas is a smart girl and will stick to her story until the time is right.  Until then…

Keep on Watchin’!

~Kelly

Last night’s episode was funny and made me laugh.  Actually, most of the episodes are funny and make me laugh.  Claire and Jay are great when competing and let’s face it, I love Luke.  Phil is always funny. To me, he is the constant MVP.  Nobody is as all around funny as he is every week.  He was the most deserving of his Emmy (even more than Stonestreet for Season 1).

THING IS- It’s been hard to write about this show because I would say this every week:

“I laughed, but I walked away forgetting almost everything.”

It hasn’t felt fresh in a while (even before the midseason break).  The stories and characters are too repetitive . How many weeks in a row can Cam feel insecure about everything?  His season 1 character was SO much more confident than the man we see every week now.  Even Mitchell is more whiney than he used to be and it grows tiresome to see these two characters have the same fights every week.  I really don’t want them to become caricatures of themselves, but that seems like that’s the way it is headed. 

The kids have also become one dimensional.  Luke is dumb, Haley is a ‘teenager’, Manny is 60, Alex is a bitter genius.  Sure we’ve seen other sides to these characters, so we know they aren’t these flat people, but we haven’t seen anything to remind us of these other dimensions lately.  We just get the joke based on their place in the family.  While that is fine, it doesn’t help this show reach the heights it used to reach.

Gloria’s accent is getting old as wonderful as she is at milking the jokes.

I still watch this show and love turning it on.  I’m just asking for some fresh material.  Certain lines are so clever and brilliant sometimes.  I just want it to always be surrounded by great writing all around.  Bring back the fresh.

Keep on Watchin’!

-Bryan

Recently, I’ve been rewatching season one of Parenthood on Netflix.  As I cry, laugh, and cringe at my family’s moments… I mean at the Braverman Family’s moments, I am reminded of why, now, in the third season I love these people and this show.  Rediscovering their roots enhances every single moment in this fine, midseason episode.

Having just watched Adam and Kristina’s reaction to Dr. Pelican confirming Max’s diagnosis in season one, I got more out of Adam’s reaction to Max appreciating the magazine cover.  I really do love this family.  Too much?

Sarah and Mr. Cyr:

I love that they are considering having a baby and it could be a really interesting plot device (pending that Jason Ritter stays on the show, as he could be a hot commodity come Pilot season).  There is one bothersome aspect of this decision.  Not once have they mentioned what Drew and Amber might think, as they have to be a small part of this decision.  Outside of Road Trip, we haven’t seen a lot of Sarah, Drew, and Amber interacting lately, as they did in Season One, so hopefully they will be involved sooner than later.  I also love that Sarah, like Amber babysitting for Julia in Season One, made her case for Mark to join Poker night.

Crosby and Adam:

NO CROSBY, DON’T FAll FOR THE TRINITY KILLER’S DAUGHTER! STOP!  But really, how adorably crazy is this cello player?  We will see what happens with her and how Jasmine interacts with it, but today it was really all about brotherly bonds.  The Adam and Crosby relationship is one of this show’s strongest characters.  Yes, the relationship itself.  From sharing with Adam first that he has a son to Crosby sleeping with Gabby, there is always something, well justified, going down.  This was just another non-serious brother fight that ends with a nice moment. I will always enjoy these stories, serious or not. 

Julia, Joel, and Latte Girl:

I am sure the blanks will be filled in the coming weeks, but their story this week felt a little weak in terms of being fully fledged out.  This seem to be a Graham family pattern.  Maybe it was meant to be that way, as we really have no real insight into what Latter Girl is thinking, until the end, of course.  All in due time, I assume.  How many times will Joel and Julia agree on something, then Julia does the opposite anyway?  Oh well.  It was nice to see a bit more Joel, but I want him in serious situations.  Whatever happened with the wanted to do more carpentry work?  Is he still working and we assume they figured it out or is he 100% stay at home again?  AND YAY FOR ADOPTION PAPERS!  (I am so excited for how, when the baby is born, things go down.)

Amber:

A nice start to a plotline that can go a million ways. Bitter post grads, nice and good looking politician, and an aunt who got her a job. (PLEASE DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH BOBBY WHO LOVES CARAMEL ON HIS COFFEE.)

MIA:

Drew (and his lady friend), Camille, Zeek, Jabbar, Sydney, and Jasmine.

Other things:

I just re-realized that Julia is the youngest of the four siblings.  For a little chunk of time, I thought that Crosby was the youngest, but Julia being the baby makes a ton of sense.  She is a bit disconnected from the older three (which is 100% evident in season one) and clearly over achieves, as she seems to always be overshadowed by Adam’s perfectness, Sarah’s troubles, and Crosby’s dumb mistakes.

I LOVED WHEN JULIA REFERRED TO SARAH AND KRISTINA AS HER SISTERS.  But, I feel like there was a little bit of information missing when it came to how much Kristina and Sarah new about Latte Girl.  Yes, they know the basics and have never met her, but how much info has Julia shared?

Mark is so wonderfully awkward.

Line of the night:

“I thought 40 was the new 30.” “Not for your ovaries.”

Tuesday nights are heaven becasue I get to spend it with my TV family.

Keep on Watchin!

-Bryan

The Good Wife is back…in a big way.  The best features of The Good Wife were on display in this new episode entitled “Alienation of Affection,” and I have to say – it was a great hour of television.

Lockhart Gardner faced a serious threat when a couple whose divorce the firm had helped negotiate reconciled and sued the firm for “Alienation of Affection,” claiming that the firm convinced them to divorce for the financial gain that the sale of the couple’s company brought to the firm.  The amount of the suit?  44 million dollars.  First of all…44 million dollars?  Can you imagine being sued for 44 MILLION DOLLARS?!  I certainly can’t.  This week’s case was intriguing and the twists and turns it presented would have been enough to make for a great episode alone…but of course The Good Wife didn’t stop there.  There was plenty of character development to go around behind the scenes as well.

Oh, Eli…you’re a snake in the grass…and I love it.  First off, Eli’s reaction to the news that as a shared equity partner he’s liable for 1.2 million dollars should the firm lose this lawsuit…was hilarious.  He also had excellent exchanges with both Diane and David Lee (who not only had the best entrance ever – busting in with the line “What the hell – now I’m being penalized for doing my job WELL?” was good enough…but topping it off with him wearing a costume straight off the stage of a Gilbert & Sullivan performance…a slick detail that only this show would toss in and make work.)  The exchanges were deeply weighted…but in extremely different ways.  Eli is a force to be reckoned with…with everyone but Diane.  Diane will always trump him, and while I think he begrudgingly respects it…it also drives him crazy.  The balance of power is more evenly distributed between Eli and David Lee, however…and their banter is so entertaining to watch because of that.

Oh, Alicia…you’re in trouble now.  It’s refreshing to see the cracks in the shiny exterior of not only Lockhart Gardner (which we often forget is a huge, multi-million dollar law firm)…but in Alicia.  After all, that’s what the core of this show is about.  How she will rise above anything and put her best face forward at any cost, while behind the scenes, the walls are really falling down.  She’s such a complex and well-written (and acted) character that even watching her flounder with guilt over her mistake and with her doubt that the truth was being told is gripping.  Also plaguing Alicia this episode was Alicia’s questioning whether or not she has what it takes to truly be the cut-throat partner that Lockhart Gardner clearly requires (though this subject was merely hinted at instead of battered home like in the last episode.)  Sometimes you have to put what’s “right” aside and go with what’s “good”…good for the firm, first and foremost.  I’m not sure if Alicia will ever be truly able to do that, and from the looks of things, neither is she.

Oh, Cary…your short and sweet scene was wonderful.  It was so nice to see Cary use his matter of fact smug smarts in favor of our friends at Lockhart Gardner instead of against for once.  And really…it’s nice to see him happy.  The sweet exchange between Cary and Alicia by the elevators was a lovely moment.

Oh Diane…you’re got a cr-uuuush!  Too bad every time we see your unlikely beau onscreen now, we’re going to assume the worst – that someone we love is getting served.  Regardless of her choice of men to find attractive, it’s refreshing to see Diane let down her walls a bit to show that she really IS at the end of the day just a woman with normal feelings.  Though I personally enjoy no-holds-barred-take-no-prisoners Diane, really…Christine Baranski can do absolutely anything, so I enjoyed the few peeks behind the sometimes harsh façade she usually shows.

Oh, Will…what a lawyer you’ve hired.  But before I go there, I need to take a quick second to say that I really don’t enjoy the distance between Will and Alicia lately.  I understand its necessity and am glad that things didn’t just fall back the way they were (after all…this is above all a well-written show, and the Kings wouldn’t do that to us as they don’t dumb things down for their audience – one of the main things I love and respect about this show.)   I did have a brief respite from the awkward when Will came to Alicia for help in choosing his lawyer.  Of course.  Of course he would come to Alicia – and of course she would have the perfect person for him.  And on that note…I cannot WAIT to see more from crazy Elsbeth Tascioni.  Her handling of Will’s case is something that I look forward to immensely.  She has proven in just the two short scenes I saw of her in this episode to be utterly engaging and fun to watch…while still being tough and a hard-core lawyer under the layer of loony she projects at first glance.  What a character!  She is totally going to give Wendy Scott-Carr a run for her money…and I am going to love it.  Plus, I am for anything that gives Will Gardner more screen time.  My adoration for Josh Charles goes way back to his Clown Dog days in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” – and we certainly can’t forget a brilliant little show called “Sports Night”…I know I never will.  I’m definitely looking forward to giving him some more time to shine.  And it looks like we’ll have plenty of time for that, since…”Mr. Gardner…you’ve been served.”

Final thoughts:

OMG it’s Richard Gilmore!  I love when Edward Herrmann shows up in random places.  However…I don’t love when he tells Will Gardner to take two years in jail and give up practicing law.  I wonder if Edward and Matt Czuchry hung out after their scenes and had a beer and reminisced about their days in Stars Hollow…I would have loved to have been a part of that conversation!

Favorite line of the episode: David Lee to Diane – “This is an adult’s game, Diane.  I’m fine if you don’t want to play, but then – don’t ask the questions.”

I love Will and Diane’s relationship.  They have the perfect blend of trust, respect, mutual affection…and the comfortable knowledge and acceptance of each other’s good and bad qualities.  Any time there’s a scene between them, it makes me happy.

Random Broadway sighting: the really beautiful bride that Will was dancing with when he got served is played by Jenny Powers, who I saw as Meg March in the Broadway production of “Little Women” (a role I loved and played myself in regional theatre a few years later.)  I love random Broadway sightings…and I love shows shot in New York City!

But I digress…back to the main subject.  What will come to pass in the rest of The Good Wife’s back half of Season 3?  If this episode’s showing is any example of what we’re in store for…I can’t wait to find out.  A show that’s beautifully acted by an effortless and multi-layered cast and also cleverly written with great storylines and character arcs…The Good Wife has delivered again…with no end in sight.

Until next time…

Keep on Watchin’!

~Kelly

Are you ready for some football?!  Now, being a born and bred Green Bay Packers fan, my answer is usually a resounding YES.  However…not at the expense of my television schedule.  A frustrating side effect of the football season is the delay in programming of the schedule of shows that follows Sunday Night Football on CBS (and I’m sure other channels as well.)  This year, the delay in programming has been especially frustrating to me because of The Good Wife’s move to Sunday nights at 9pm.  A seemingly good time slot for me, as Sunday nights are not crowded with shows I must see like Thursdays (Vampire Diaries, Big Bang Theory, Bones, Community and Parks and Recreation ALL IN THE SAME HOUR?!  Torture.  Even MY poor DVR can’t keep up with all of that!).

I had no initial problem with The Good Wife’s move to Sunday nights.  In fact, I embraced it, especially now that it’s the only thing I watch on Sundays, since I only made it through one episode of Pan Am…and we’ll talk about my farewell to Once Upon a Time in a minute.  However, the football delay of Sunday nights really hit me hard this year.  I know most of it is my own fault…clearly, after the first horrific realization that half of my DVR’d episode of The Good Wife was filled with scenes from The Amazing Race I should have wised up right away and made sure that horror was never repeated.  But I am nothing if not a creature of habit, and Sundays for me are for watching bad romantic comedies (this week was “Letters to Juliet” – don’t judge) and catching up on TV that I missed during the week, or classic episodes I want to rewatch (*cough*Salvatorebrothers*cough*).  This always spills over the 9pm start time of The Good Wife, and I never pay much attention because I prefer to watch shows that I’m reviewing on my DVR instead of live anyway, so that I can rewind and pause when a though strikes me or I have to gush about my love for Christine Baranski and Josh Charles.  Well, this week I was foiled again, when 25 minutes of my Good Wife episode was devoted to 60 Minutes.  60 MINUTES?!  I don’t care what’s going on in the world…clearly.  I much prefer the ins and outs of Lockhart Gardner.  

So what’s my main problem?  That I had to wait until Monday to watch the entire episode (oh the horror!).  Well…yes!  At the end of the day, I know it’s really not a huge deal.  But when your week revolves around your busy TV watching schedule…heads will ROLL when it’s interrupted.  So watch out, CBS.  I love my football…but get it together before I hire Lockhart Gardner to sue YOU.

In other Sunday-not-so-Funday news…the ship has sailed on my interest in Once Upon a Time.  I can’t pinpoint a specific reason for my waning interest, and I know that many people would fight me to the death for expressing my disinterest (Hey – I get it.  I’ve had knock-down-drag-out conversations with people who say they just “can’t get into” Parks and Recreation.  To those people I say (more like yell) DO YOU HAVE NO SOUL? as I wave pictures of Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman in their faces…so trust me…I get it), but it’s just not doing it for me.  Watching the show has become a chore…and at the end of the day, TV is supposed to be fun.   So goodbye, Ginnifer Goodwin.  You were the only reason I held on this long.  When they revisit your backstory, perhaps I’ll DVR that episode just for you.  But until that day…I’ll cue up another rom com or rewatch the latest Suburgatory or New Girl for a quick laugh instead…and keep my eye on CBS’s football schedule from here on out.

Until next time…

Keep on Watchin’!

~Kelly