Boob Tube Round Up: Week of December 3 – December 9, 2011

The holidays are approaching, and nothing says "Merry Christmas" like harassing school principles and making fun of Glee!




Sunday, December 4

The Good Wife: Eli Gold is being underused. Time to get Peter back on the campaign trails so Eli stops spinning his wheels at Lockhart Gardner. And Kalinda is being misused. Time to make Alicia forgive Kalinda (which is what the previews suggest may happen, so yay!), so that they can be friends and she stops being so one-note.

In Time With You: Da Ren’s breakdown is uncomfortably raw and hard to watch, but perfect for his state of mind at the time. Kudos. But I’m getting worried that there is too much to wrap up in the finale next week, and I predict that it is not going to end well for our OTP.

Monday, December 5

Padam Padam: Holy crap. I was sold on this drama within thirty seconds, and it kept surprising me from there. From the moving score to the beautiful, intimate shots, this has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing dramas ever. And that doesn’t even begin to cover how well-acted and –written it is.

Tuesday, December 6

FBRS: Finally, forward momentum! While the plot is still spinning its wheels, as it has since the ramen shop reopened, at least Chi Soo is finally accepting his feelings (aka the fifth stage since being diagnosed with the “disease” of feelings), and gasps cares about Eun Bi and her fears!

New Girl: I maintain that this show still needs to better define who Winston and Nick are. Schmidt is starting to grow on me, definitely more likeable than in the first couple episodes when his character was basically reduced to the "douche jar." But Jess is still the character who draws me back to the show each week, and damn if that attempted-sex scene wasn’t fantastically funny.

Padam Padam: While the first episode was a smidge more compelling, the second episode confirmed that the quality of the first was not a fluke, and that this show is really going to be this skillfully made. My only gripe is that the romance is less interesting than the Kang Chil/Kook Soo relationship and the spiritual elements being explored.

Thursday, December 8

Community: A sweet episode with some fun holiday feel-goodery, but in some ways problematic. Although the criticism of trying too hard to make Christmas magical undermines its magic is appropriate and was well-handled, they seemed to be making fun of Glee simply to make fun of Glee, which isn't very interesting. And while the songs were funny, they weren't all that memorable.

Parks and Recreation: I’m glad that the raised stakes from last week’s episode weren’t lowered, that Leslie still felt the consequences of her actions. And it also brought out the lovely B-stories, of the Parks and Rec Department all coming together to support Leslie in more ways than one. And nothing beats Leslie shouting “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”

Friday, December 9

The Musical: I don’t know what to say. The plot is unrecognizable from the earliest episodes, half of the episode was flashbacks from previous episodes, an inexplicable medical miracle took place before a completely predictable death, and only a few passing references were made to the titular musical. The first few episodes of this drama were such a tease compared to the recent mediocrity.