Category Archives: Television

TV Time: New Girl 3.04

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Title The Captain

Two-Sentence Summary Schmidt deals with his newly-single status by attempting to break up the very happy Nick and Jess by preying on their differences in expressing their emotions, but his plan proves to be fruitless when it leads to Nick finally opening up about his feelings, especially his feelings for Jess. Meanwhile, Winston tries to find a female cat for Furguson to spend his last night with before he’s fixed.

Favorite Line There were so many gems this week that I have a tie between:
“I have a cat brothel going on in my room, and I’m the only normal person in this loft!” (Winston)

AND

“I’ve never, you know, felt this way or had this with anybody. It’s like there’s been this fog around my life, and with you, all of a sudden, it’s gone.” (Nick)

Episode M.V.P. Each of the Core Four characters had standout moments this week. Schmidt’s explanation of what exactly “The Captain” was while strategically using the blender was some of the funniest material Max Greenfield’s been given in a long time, and he ran with it. Lamorne Morris got to be both the craziest (cat brothel, anyone?) and sanest (“You’re having sex, not inventing it.”) person in the episode. And Zooey Deschanel’s delivery was on fire this week—from her horrified reactions after The Captain was over to her explanation of her sexual awakening to her adorable admission that her month with Nick has been the best month of her life.

For me, though, the real stars of the episode were the people who brought Nick Miller to life in it—writer J. J. Philbin and Jake Johnson. Philbin is my favorite New Girl writer, and I love how much her episodes explore both Nick’s hilarious side (“Fancyman Part 1”) and his deeper layers, especially in terms of how they relate to Jess (“Injured” and “Fluffer”). This episode was written in a way that allowed us to see just how far Nick has come without being overly sentimental or sappy. And the reason the writing came off so well was because of Johnson. His gift for juggling silliness and sincerity was used to its full effect in this episode. There were moments when he had me crying with laughter, moments when he had me crying from happiness, and moments when he made both happen at the same time. Nick’s outpouring of feelings about everything from cellos and rap music to baby zebras and Jess was delivered with such genuine happiness by Johnson and created a real turning point for Nick Miller as a character without making it melodramatic. That scene and the last scene between Nick and Jess in his bedroom were perfect examples of how great writing and truly natural acting can combine to create moments of emotional honesty that still manage to make us laugh—and that’s when New Girl is at its best.

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TV Time: Castle 6.03

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NATHAN FILLION, STANA KATIC

Title Need To Know

Two-Sentence Summary Castle rejoins the 12th precinct for a murder investigation involving the death of a TV actor who was famous for playing a nerd in a cheesy high school comedy. However, when the case becomes deeper than just a murder investigation, Beckett and Agent McCord show up in New York to take over the case, which leads to more than a little competition and a serious conflict for Beckett.

Favorite Line “Castle, your whole relationship is built on the foundation of your boundary pushing.” (Ryan)

My Thoughts With the conclusion of this episode, the “Beckett in Washington” arc ended as abruptly as it began. Back when Beckett first got the job offer, I remember feeling confused as to why she would take it, knowing what we do about her desire to honor the victims over following any sort of directive from a superior. It’s nice to know that I was right in my initial assessment of Beckett’s chief conflict with this job, but I’m still left feeling like it was more of a “good for the show” decision than a “good for the character” decision. It didn’t reveal much that we didn’t know already about Katherine Houghton Beckett (and I wish we had more scenes between Beckett and McCord), but it was nice to see the show try something new even in its “middle age” and do so in a way that was true to what we know about Beckett.

The reason I think this arc didn’t reveal much about Beckett that we didn’t already know is because we already know that Beckett prioritizes getting justice for victims over bureaucracy and protocol. While this isn’t earthshattering information, it did provide for some strong moments of internal conflict for this character, and I liked seeing her ultimately stay true to who she is: the one who honors the victims. When Beckett gave Castle the USB drive and when she leaked the name to the press, I felt incredible pride for this woman who refused to give up on her principles.

While I felt proud of Beckett for staying true to herself and doing what she believed was the right thing to do, I was also pleased to see that her actions actually had consequences. I was surprised to see Beckett get fired rather than quit in a later episode, but, in the real world, doing what she did would have led to a firing. As much as I love Kate Beckett, she can be quite the loose canon when she thinks she’s in the right and her superiors are in the wrong, and that’s not a good fit for a job in Washington.

And with that, Beckett is back in New York where she belongs, fighting for justice and honoring the victims. It was interesting to see her on the outside looking in when she joined McCord at the 12th precinct. The place that was once Beckett’s home was suddenly foreign soil, including her old desk (what a fantastic running sight gag that was). This episode did a great job of showing rather than telling us that this was where Beckett belonged—from the way she went back to standing in front of the murder board to the way Gates so passionately defended her team’s belief in fighting for the victim—so when Beckett handed over that flash drive, it felt less like a fiancée doing something for her romantic partner and more like a detective doing something for the team she wishes she was still playing for.

That team was the reason this episode was so strong. How great was it to be back in New York with Ryan and Esposito again? (Answer: GREAT) I love when Castle and The Boys (that sounds like a band name) get to interact for more than just a token scene or two because Nathan Fillion, Seamus Dever, and Jon Huertas have such excellent chemistry. From the first moment when Esposito ignored Castle’s call as Castle watched on TV to the countless quips about Ryan’s love for 2 Cool for School, this episode proved to me that this show would be lacking something special without the presence of Huertas and Dever. It was just so great to have the boys back together, and their race to solve the case independent of Beckett and McCord felt like the excellent Season Two episode “The Double Down.”

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.02

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JOSH DALLAS, LANA PARRILLA, GINNIFER GOODWIN, JENNIFER MORRISON, COLIN O'DONOGHUE

Title Lost Girl

Two-Sentence Summary After Peter Pan gives Emma a magical map to Henry, she must come to terms with her own past as a lost girl in order to read it. However, it seems Pan has more nefarious deeds in mind than just keeping Henry from her; his goal is to make Henry embrace his own past as a lost boy in order to keep him on the island—and to turn Emma from a woman who still feels like an orphan into a woman who is an orphan, which seems to be slowly happening as Charming is wounded by a poisoned arrow.

Favorite Lines
Hook: Just who are you, Swan?
Emma: Wouldn’t you like to know?
Hook: Perhaps I would.

My Thoughts Once Upon a Time began as Emma Swan’s story, and somewhere along the way it got lost in all the other cool stories springing up around her, which I think was a huge reason Season Two struggled as much as it did. I will never be upset with an occasional look into Regina’s psyche, a Rumplestiltskin-centric episode or two, or even a chunk of time devoted to developing a new character. I love how many deep and interesting characters inhabit this show’s various realms, but every show needs a focus—and Once Upon a Time is most successful when that focus is on Emma Swan and the relationships she’s forming with the characters around her.

The character of Emma Swan grounds this show in realism, and sometimes that result is funny but, even more often, that result is heartbreaking. In a show built around magical conflicts and fairytale love stories, Emma’s story is a very human—very real—story about a woman who was broken so many times by so many different abandonments that she can’t be magically fixed. She can only slowly grow and learn how to heal, and while that growth and healing might not make for action-packed storytelling, it creates something even better: real character development, not just for Emma but for everyone around her.

I thought “Lost Girl” was an even stronger episode than last week’s premiere. Everyone has their reasons for watching Once Upon a Time, and mine has always been the development of the characters within the “Charming Family.” Needless to say, I was blown away by the emotional power of this episode. It allowed each character to do what they do best, and, therefore, it allowed every member of the cast to shine.

Let’s begin from the outer edges of the episode and work our way to its emotional center. I think the decision to separate Rumplestiltskin from the rest of the Neverland group was very smart. If any actor can compel viewers with a solitary storyline, it’s Robert Carlyle. I was captivated just watching him walk through the jungle, unable to get away from the doll his father gave to him. (Thanks for answer that so quickly, writers!) I’m not sure we needed Belle in order to see his inner struggle to do the right thing, but it was a lovely reminder that he’s always believed her to be his conscience, his heart. Belle has always seen who Rumplestiltskin really is, and she believes in what he can be. And in this episode, that’s what true love is all about.

The theme of true love being belief in the one you love (even after they’ve lost faith in themselves) has always been a part of Snow White and Prince Charming’s story, and it was the focal point of their flashbacks in this episode. What I love about Snow and Charming’s relationship is that it might wear the very idealistic label of “true love,” but it’s so much more than just a one-dimensional, “fairytale” romance. It’s not an idealized love story; rather, it’s a love story about two people with flaws and faults and weak moments who can lean on each other for support when they don’t feel like heroes.

I enjoyed seeing the way Snow’s identity crisis paralleled Emma’s in this episode. I wish Emma knew all the things about Snow we learn from these flashbacks because it’s so important to remember that Snow was an orphan, too, but she learned to move on from letting that define her to become the leader she needed to be for her people.

Did the flashbacks reveal anything groundbreaking in terms of the overall plot of this show? No. They featured some great moments of Regina in all her Evil Queen glory (and gorgeous gowns), some overprotective “big brother” dwarves, and a nice twist on the classic story of the Sword in the Stone—none of which moved the plot along or revealed important information. But that’s not to say they were a waste of time. They served as a great reminder that Snow and Charming aren’t these far-off legends Emma seems to view them as. They’re as human as she is, with plenty of self-doubt and moments where they are anything but “infuriatingly optimistic.”

And more than anything else, these flashbacks were a wonderful reminder of the power of true love. Yes, it breaks curses and creates saviors. But the real power of true love is in its ability to help us be our best selves—and that’s what Charming did for Snow in this episode. His faith in his wife has always been such a beautiful thing to see, and so much of that comes from the earnest way Josh Dallas plays Charming. Somehow, Charming’s belief in Snow never comes across as sappy or unrealistic. It’s genuine and believable in a way that makes me not only want that it my own life; it makes me feel like it’s attainable. Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin have such a special chemistry, and I will never turn down a set of flashbacks where I get to watch them flirt and kiss and remind us all what true love really looks like.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (9/29 – 10/6)

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Another fantastic week in television has come and gone, and with it came some excellent season premieres and episodes that continue to have me hopeful for this entire TV season as a whole.

Last Sunday’s Once Upon a Time premiere had me on the edge of my seat and completely buying into the idea that this season will give me the emotional content and character development that last season often lacked. That hopeful feeling extended into my viewing of the season premiere of The Good Wife, which also reminded me of all of the things I first fell in love with about the show.

Monday’s Dancing with the Stars episode made my love for Bill Engvall only grow stronger, and Castle was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. Tuesday’s TV lineup included an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. featuring the cameo I’d been waiting for since I’d heard about the show, as well as episodes of New Girl and The Mindy Project that packed quite the emotional punch.

Wednesday’s Nashville episode was a great followup to a fantastic season premiere, even though the scene between Rayna and Deacon broke my heart. Thursday reminded me of all the ways TV can make me laugh (Ron Swanson’s accidental Vine on Parks and Recreation) and all the ways it can make me feel (the entirety of Scandal‘s breathtaking season premiere).

I only started watching Scandal with this week’s recap show and season premiere (besides YouTube clips of the most talked-about scenes and about 3/4 of last season’s finale), but I’m so happy I decided to tune in when I did—because it was the best thing I saw in a great week of television. Everything about that premiere was smart—the twists, the dialogue, and even the wardrobe choices (that white trench coat!). And it all culminated in one phenomenal scene between Fitz, Olivia, and Mellie in a secret bunker. My favorite thing about that scene was the way there were so many things being said without words between all of the characters, especially between Fitz and Olivia. It’s a brave thing for a network drama to have a scene so long featuring nothing but three people talking, but when the acting is this good, it’s hard to believe anyone would be able to turn away.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 6.03

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Parks-and-Recreation-The-Pawnee-Eagleton-Tip-Off-Classic

Title The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic

Two-Sentence Summary When Leslie learns that Eagleton is facing a financial crisis, she has to put aside her own hatred for the town and do the right thing, which in this case involves absorbing Eagleton into Pawnee. Meanwhile, Ron enlists Tom and Donna to help him get off the grid, and April and Ann take a trip to Bloomington that doesn’t exactly go as planned.

Favorite Line “ERASE ALL PICTURES OF RON!”

My Thoughts It would have been difficult for any episode of Parks and Recreation to follow up the fantastic fun of last week’s season premiere, but “The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic” was a valiant effort. It had plenty of funny moments, but where it faltered a bit was in its character development. It made me wish Parks and Rec could always be an hour long because so much of this episode felt rushed.

Let’s start with one of the things that had me most excited for this episode—Kristen Bell as Eagleton councilwoman Ingrid de Forest. While she given some very funny and sharply satirical lines about government spending (I loved that she tried to tip Ben in Euros), I wished she had been used more. Bell is such a fantastic actress and such a funny lady that I can only hope the events of this episode mean we’ll be seeing more of Ingrid as the season goes on. Otherwise, it was kind of a waste of her talent—and a chance to see her flex her comedic muscles opposite Amy Poehler.

All in all, I wasn’t crazy about Leslie’s storyline for the majority of this episode. I know Leslie’s overdramatic hatred of Eagleton is as much a part of her character as her love of Joe Biden, but that doesn’t mean I will ever really enjoy episodes like this. I don’t like watching Leslie Knope be mean; it makes me squirm rather than laugh. And it really bothered me to see her trying to drag Ben down to her level. I understand that Leslie needed to be worse than she’s ever been about Eagleton in order for her change of heart to feel the most dramatic and earned, but this was all a little too over-the-top for my liking.

In the end, though, Leslie did the right thing, the “Leslie Thing” (aka the thing that is most helpful and supportive towards another person or, in this case, town). It made me happy to see Ben’s influence on her in this episode. He knew exactly what to say to get Leslie to act on what she knew to be true all along: She may say that helping Eagleton goes against everything she stands for, but, in reality, laughing at their suffering and refusing to help them goes against everything she stands for at the core of who she is. I was so proud of Ben for standing up to his headstrong wife and helping her to be her best self. A marriage is a team, and Ben is always on Leslie’s team. But sometimes teammates have to call each other out when they’re not doing the right thing. Ben and Leslie are a marriage of equals, so it was nice to see the effect that rational, calm Ben has on (overly) impassioned, dramatic Leslie.

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TV Time: New Girl 3.03

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I apologize for being so late to post this review; I’ve been battling a wicked case of laryngitis, so my body decided to recharge (aka fall asleep) before I had time to finish writing this yesterday.

Title Double Date

Two-Sentence Summary Nick and Jess’s plan for a double date with Cece and Schmidt goes horribly awry when Schmidt’s relationships with both Cece and Elizabeth are revealed. After losing both women, Schmidt then vows to destroy Nick and Jess’s relationship.

Favorite Line “I’m not convinced I know how to read. I’ve just memorized a lot of words.” (Nick)

Episode M.V.P. While I thought Lamorne Morris was typically hilarious in depicting just how insane Winston can be (eating the glass pebble was my personal favorite moment of his), this episode was more serious than most New Girl outings, and it belonged to the actors who so expertly made the episode’s gravitas feel believable.

Zooey Deschanel has perfected the art of showing Jess’s quiet strength, and that was on full display in her desire to do what was right for her best friend. Her acting wasn’t overdramatic or attention-grabbing; it was just the right kind of concern and righteous anger on behalf of the friend she’s known a hell of a lot longer than Schmidt. Also proving she’s truly adept at quiet moments of emotion was Hannah Simone. She absolutely broke my heart in the scene where she found out about Schmidt’s infidelity.

Although both of those women were excellent in this episode, their male counterparts stole the show. Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield are both such sincere actors, and that sincerity was a big part of what made this episode so devastating for fans of Schmidt and Cece’s relationship and also so uplifting for fans of Nick and Jess’s romance. Johnson once again showed his skill at balancing broad comedy (his ridiculous dance in the loft while looking like another member of Daft Punk) with honest emotion (the way he kissed Jess in their bathroom scene). Nick is growing as a character with each episode, and I love that Johnson’s performance makes it feel believable that this man who thinks the moon landing is fake is the same man who can so sincerely tell Jess that he’s there for her and wants to be with her (especially when he knows they’ve both just dealt with a situation involving a man who couldn’t decide who he wanted to be with).

And then there’s Greenfield. How is it possible to feel sad for someone who was trying to date two women at once? It goes against everything I stand for, but somehow Greenfield made me believe that Schmidt genuinely didn’t want to hurt anyone. His performance in the restaurant scene was the best acting we’ve seen from him yet. I hated what Schmidt did, but I can’t hate Schmidt—and that’s a credit to the vulnerability Greenfield projected in such a dramatic moment.

Favorite Moment In the middle of so much heartbreaking drama, it was nice to see Nick and Jess stronger than ever as a couple. The scene between them as they drove to the restaurant was such a great way of showing the dynamic between these two characters in a way that was both funny and disarmingly sweet. First of all, of course Nick would drive absurdly slowly because he’s basically legally blind. Those little character quirks that keep popping up around this character never fail to make me laugh because they always feel right for who we know Nick Miller to be. Also, did anybody else love the way they argued as they were driving because it feels like a thing real couples always seem to do?

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TV Time: Castle 6.02

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Source: Tumblr.com

Source: Tumblr.com

Title Dreamworld

Two-Sentence Summary After learning that Castle has only a day to live after being exposed to a deadly chemical related to her latest case, Beckett frantically searches for leads to keep her fiancé alive and prevent a possible terror attack in Washington. Her investigative work leads her to a journalist, whose grief over his own fiancée’s death at the hands of an air strike from the secret military base known as Dreamworld has driven him to seek out revenge against the sitting Secretary of Defense.

Favorite Lines
Castle: Next time I say I’m dying to see you, let’s keep it metaphoric.
Beckett: Deal.

My Thoughts One of my favorite things about Castle is its brilliant character continuity. We can be presented with new situations and obstacles for these characters without the show feeling completely foreign because the characters’ reactions to these situations are always true to what we’ve learned about them over the last six seasons. It’s why Castle and Beckett making the leap from partners at work to partners in life was so successful last season, and it’s why “Dreamworld” was so successful as well. The way every character in this episode reacted to its events was such a shining example of what makes Castle a great show: It’s a rare procedural that’s driven by characters rather than plot, and it never tries to shy away from that. In fact, it embraces our connections to those characters and the characters’ connections to one another. Those connections are what made this episode so compelling and emotionally engaging.

I think we all knew there was no way Castle was dying in this episode. The real reason the end of last week’s “Valkyrie” was such a great cliffhanger was because it blindsided the characters in addition to the audience. And the reason this episode was still so suspenseful—even with our collective belief that Castle couldn’t die—was because it was so suspenseful for the characters. When you have writing that allows the emotional stakes to be the focal point of an episode, even the most predictable plots can leave you on the edge of your seat with tears in your eyes, which was basically my default position for all of “Dreamworld.”

The case itself was interesting enough, even if it did borrow heavily from common Castle plots: the impending terror threat looming over a two-part episode, the loved one out for vengeance, and the shady political maneuverings. But what I liked about this episode was the fact that all this heightened action happened right at the start of the season rather than at its midpoint. Like I said after last week’s premiere, starting the season with a two-part episode felt like a very confident and intelligent move to secure the interest of new viewers and get casual fans hooked right at the start of the season.

I liked the twists and turns in the case, but my favorite thing about it was the way it helped set up a believable reason for Beckett to leave Washington (because I think we’re all 99.99% sure she’s going back to New York at some point). If she left just because she missed Castle or because she wasn’t good at the job, this whole arc would feel hollow and empty. But it looks like this job is going to force her to confront her beliefs about justice. Kate Beckett has always been driven by her desire to get justice for others because she knows how it feels to lose a loved one. Now, she’s left with the idea that her dedication to getting justice for all victims and their families may have to take a back seat to politics. I’m not sure Beckett will ever be able to justify putting other things above getting closure for a victim’s family. The look on her face when McCord told her the Secretary was going to get off without any real blame said it all: How can she be the one who honors the victims when she’s in a place where not all who are guilty can be brought to justice?

Beckett’s motivation for solving crimes has always been personal, but this episode took it to another level. Like Sydney Bristow and Chuck Bartowski before her, Kate Beckett proved that she’s a force to be reckoned with when the love of her life is in need of an antidote. I’ve seen this general plot so many times before, but what kept it fresh in “Dreamworld” was the way it affected each character. The “search for an antidote” plot may have been done on Alias, Chuck, and a thousand other shows, but there was nothing generic about the way it was handled on Castle.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.01

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301OUaT

Title The Heart of the Truest Believer

Two-Sentence Summary After bringing Henry to Neverland at the request of their mysterious “home office,” Tamara and Greg are shocked to learn that they were simply used by Peter Pan and the Lost Boys to procure Henry, and once that goal is achieved, they are no longer of any use alive (Greg’s soul/shadow is ripped from his body by Pan; Tamara is shot by an arrow and later killed by Rumplestiltskin). In their quest to find Henry, Emma, Snow, Charming, Hook, and Regina (Rumplestiltskin has gone rogue) discover that the only way they are going to survive Neverland is by putting aside their hatred and believing in one another, while another strange alliance is being formed in Fairytale Land between Aurora, Philip, Mulan, Robin Hood, and Neal.

Favorite Lines
Snow: Undo your spell; bring back the mermaid!
Regina: And what—you’ll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?

My Thoughts If “The Heart of the Truest Believer” is a sign of things to come for Once Upon a Time, then I’m really excited about where this show is headed. Yes, this premiere had a lot going on, but it found a way to balance its storylines and characters with a clarity that seemed to be lacking at times in Season Two. There are still families split apart and villains longing for redemption, but in this episode those things felt like they had the kind of emotional resonance that was often sacrificed for new plot developments in previous episodes. There was plenty of action, but there were also plenty of quieter moments where characters were given a chance to breathe, to talk, to grow, and to surprise us.

One of the biggest surprises in this episode came very early on, when the true identity of Greg and Tamara’s “home office” was revealed. I’ll admit it; when I heard those two words uttered by those two characters again, I was ready to scream, “NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR HOME OFFICE AND NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU!” (I just really hated their storyline last season, okay?) So imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out these characters were actually being manipulated by Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and that there was no real home office; it was such a relief to know that we weren’t going to spend episode after episode trying to figure out who these two were working for. And it was also such a relief to know that two of the most uninteresting characters in the history of this show were also going to disappear. By doing away with my least favorite storyline of last season only a few minutes into the episode, I already knew this premiere was going to be a success.

Another reason I so deeply enjoyed the way Tamara and Greg were duped was because it set up a recurring theme for this episode which tied all of the plot threads together: the dangers of blind faith but the importance of belief. Once Upon a Time is growing up. Even “truest believer” Henry was throwing out sarcastic quips about Tamara and Greg not asking questions about who they actually worked for because of their blind faith in their cause.

Henry also learned the hard way about the dangers of putting your trust in the wrong thing (or in his case, person). I knew from the start that the kid he’d teamed up with was Peter Pan; he was too good of an actor (and too disarmingly pretty in his features) to just be a generic Lost Boy. I thought Robbie Kay was great at making the twist from friendly boy to creepy Peter Pan believable. There’s something really chilling about the evil hiding behind such a boyish face, and I can’t say enough about how much I love this show for once again taking a classic story and making it feel fresh and surprising. Pan’s “Let’s play” at the end of the episode gave me the best kind of freaked-out chills. Unsettled isn’t usually an emotion I feel while watching Once Upon a Time, but I like that the show still has some new tricks up its sleeve.

However cool the Peter Pan story may be, I still have a lot of questions about this plot (not that having questions is always a bad thing): How did the Lost Boys/Pan manage to contact Greg and Tamara, and why choose them? What does Peter Pan want with the heart of the truest believer? What is the doll that made Rumplestiltskin cry (another brilliant moment from Robert Carlyle)? And how they heck did Pan know what Henry was going to look like hundreds of years before he was born?

Pan knew of Henry before Bae came to Neverland, and I can’t help thinking that Bae’s going to end up in Neverland once again for reasons relating to Henry. I didn’t think we would spend so much time with Bae/Neal so soon (I’ll just call him Neal because apparently I want to be like Emma Swan, which I totally do), but it sure was nice to see Michael Raymond-James back on my TV. It was cool to watch him embrace his past as the son of the Dark One, and I liked seeing him interact with characters we’d left behind around the halfway point of Season Two. I still don’t love Jamie Chung’s line readings as Mulan (they always feel strangely stilted to me), but I did like the scenes where Neal tried to talk to her about the movie bearing her name. Those little moments of self-aware humor have always kept this show grounded, and it was nice to see it right at the start of this season.

The humor came from many different places in this episode, but if you were looking for sassy one-liners, then you needed to look no further than the Jolly Roger. Between Hook and Regina, the quips just kept on coming. Two of my personal favorites were:
• “Oh, that’s a great use of our time—a wardrobe change.” (Hook to Rumplestiltskin after the latter appears wearing his old leather clothes, and looking gosh-darn great in them if you ask me)
• “Fillet the bitch!” (Regina to Charming after they’d captured a mermaid)

Ultimately, though, the scenes on the Jolly Roger were about so much more than sarcastic comments or even intense actions sequences (even though that whole storyline at times felt like one long action scene filled with surprisingly angry mermaids). It was about this group of characters learning how to believe. For Snow and Charming, it was about learning to believe in their daughter for who she is rather than who they want her to be. Emma may have been harsh in her assessment of her relationship with them so far (but tact hasn’t ever been Emma Swan’s chief asset), but she has had her own experiences, and they are all going to have to find a way to believe in each other as a family despite the differences in their lives. For Regina, it was about believing that there are more important things than her hatred of Snow (although the two of them finally getting to haul off and punch each other was very cathartic for me as a viewer—especially to see Snow punch Regina). For Hook, it was about believing in something (or maybe someone) more important than himself.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (9/22 – 9/29)

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This week, the Fall 2013 TV season kicked into high gear with a full slate of season and series premieres. Monday’s Castle premiere gave us a beautiful resolution to last season’s cliffhangers while leaving us with a brand-new cliffhanger to keep us on the edge of our seats for the rest of the week. Tuesday was the big day for any and all Marvel fans, as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted with the plot twists, quick dialogue, and deep questions we’ve come to expect from anything helmed by Joss Whedon. A fun and funny New Girl episode also highlighted Tuesday night’s TV lineup, proving that Season Three is already off to a great start. The Nashville season premiere on Wednesday officially reignited my love for that show, and my love for Parks and Recreation only got stronger with Thursday’s big one-hour premiere. In addition, The Michael J. Fox Show also added some heartfelt humor to my Thursday night with its charming pilot. Finally, last night’s Saturday Night Live season premiere was a fantastic reminder that everything in life gets better when you add Tina Fey to it.

Choosing the best TV moment of this fantastic week was difficult, but it ultimately came down to two marriage proposals. On Castle, the reaction both Beckett and Castle had to his season-ending proposal was perfectly in-character and wonderfully acted. But—as much as I loved that proposal—I don’t think anything can top the first five minutes of this week’s premiere of Parks and Rec. Not only did it feature a proposal; it featured an entire wedding done in a way that was totally unexpected and yet exactly right for Ron, Diane, and their relationship. Plus, it allowed us to see Leslie become temporarily paralyzed by excitement, create a bouquet of highlighters, and frantically search for rice in City Hall.

This cold open was anything but cold; it was warm, bright, and funny. In short, it was everything that’s right about Parks and Rec condensed into five minutes of nearly perfect television.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 6.01

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Title London, Part 1 & 2

Two-Sentence Summary Leslie heads to London to accept an award for her achievements as a woman in government, but the trip only serves to highlight the fact that the people she serves in Pawnee are trying to run her out of office. Meanwhile, Ron and Diane get married; Andy gets a job offer in London; Ann gets pregnant; and Tom gets into a feud with his Rent-a-Swag competitor, who happens to be Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa’s father.

Favorite Lines
Andy: I can’t believe we’re at Hogwarts!
Ben: No, that’s Buckingham Palace. Hogwarts is fictional; do you know that? It’s important to me that you know that.

My Thoughts Welcome back, Parks and Recreation; I’ve missed you so much. There’s something so comforting about turning on my TV on Thursday nights and knowing that I’m going to feel genuinely good about what I’m watching. There’s a comfort that Parks and Rec brings, but it’s a comfort born not of rehashed stories and static characters but rather of characters who are so well-developed that they re-enter your life every season as old friends; the changes in their stories feel natural and earned because we know them so well and because the writers know them even better than we do. And there were certainly a lot of changes that happened in this season premiere…

My biggest complaint with last season’s finale was that it didn’t emotionally engage me in the way the best episodes of Parks and Recreation do. Imagine my pleasant surprise, then, when I found myself tearing up barely two minutes into this premiere. Ron’s proposal to Diane was perfect for a number of reasons (most of them canoe-related), and I loved what it meant for Ron’s growth as a character. This man, who used to want nothing to do with children, isn’t scared off by being a father and starting a new life with this woman and her two little girls. This man, who was scarred by two horrible marriages, is tired of not being married to Diane (anybody else LOVE that line?) and wants to make that happen as soon as possible.

In what was possibly the best cold open in the show’s history, Ron and Diane are married before the episode’s five-minute mark, but the rapid pacing felt exactly right for this couple. There’s no point in delaying the inevitable, and I love that this show isn’t afraid of taking what could have been a major Season Six storyline and relegating it to the first five minutes of the premiere simply because it feels organic to who these characters are. The wedding was nothing less than a perfect fit for this pair, and it allowed Amy Poehler to show Leslie’s particular brand of crazy so well. (Her reaction to the wedding news was one of the most hilarious parts of what was a very funny premiere.)

Parks and Rec is first and foremost a show about optimism in a cynical world, so it should come as no surprise that it handles weddings and relationships with such care. In this episode alone, we were given Ron’s ideal wedding; Ben’s unfailing support of his wife (including wearing a barrister wig without any argument because she thinks it has the potential to be sexy); April and Andy’s marriage continuing to be more solid than 99% of the relationships on other television shows; and Ann and Chris preparing for a family of their own.

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