How I Met Your Mother s06e19 review

Barney met his dad... because of a letter he sent. I don't even remember him sending that letter, but the season had aired weirdly this year with some weird long gaps.

John Lithgow plays Barney's dad. I couldn't really get behind that as the last thing I saw him in was Dexter, and he was a crazy evil serial killer in that, just pretending to be a nice family man. So, when he was a a nice family man in this episode I couldn't shake the feeling he was planning to kill Ted and the gang in horrible ways as soon as he could. Who knows, maybe he sliced Ted up a bit off camera. He'd deserve it.

This seasons been a bit heavy, Marshall's dad died and now Barney meets his dad who's been missing for something like 25 years. Marshall's dads funeral was a moving moment, but this episode just seemed hollow. I don't like Barney as a interesting three dimensional character, I want him being funny and banging chicks. Its what he does best. We have the rest of the cast to have deep moments, just let Barney be funny. Jesus wept.

I did quite like the idea that everyone has a gap in their general knowledge that makes them seem like idiots - Robin thinking that the North Pole is not a real place, Ted mispronouncing chameleon etc. Its true, we all have things like that. I thought that the Rolling Stones were American 'till I was 19. When people found out they ridiculed me for days. The ones that the cast brought up seemed a little forced though... maybe I just didn't like the episode much.

Not much to say about this episode really, not many gags, weird casting and Barney not being funny enough.
FOUR THUMBS UP

Watch it all on Amazon: How I Met Your Mother: Season One

Californication s04e11 review

How is it the penultimate episode already? It seems like 2 days ago the first two episodes were leaked online. The season has been great, I thought the trial would come and go within the first 5 episodes and the rest of the season would focus on Hank making a movie. Not so, this season has shown a broken Hank dealing with the consequences of his actions in a way he's never had to before. Its not slowed him down, but still.

Hank was found guilty, which I really didn't expect, and in the opening shots we saw the gang dealing with the news - badly. Charlie wept like a child. I just feel bad for Hank now, everyone knows he's innocent(ish) but he's facing jail time. Hanks described as an 'outlaw' by an old friend and Becca pleads with Hank to be a normal boring 9-5 dad (which leads to a 50s-Sitcom style dream sequence that almost kills the episode). Becca has some great moments this episode, despite her pissing me off somewhat this season. Hank tells her that he wants to 'forget reality' for a while and Becca communicates to Hank, without actually saying it, that that is exactly what his problem is.

I think I've always wanted to be an outlaw. Hunter S. Thompson, Bill Hicks - these are the people I look up to, but I could never cut lose and live like Hank. I think its why I find Hank such an appealing character.

The gang all get high together and talk of old times, remembering that they were once great - and wondering how it all went wrong. Hank is the centre of this little group, but he needs them all to survive. I think in their heats they all want to go back to being two couples, getting drunk and having a laugh, but its just out of reach. Its sad times.

I'm looking forward to next week and seeing how this all wraps up. There's another season after this, but to me this feels like the last. The whole season has been about his mistake from the start of season one, and we re-lived the infamous Nun scene that opened season one this episode. Maybe this will be the last great season, but who knows the show seems to have just got better to me, without losing sight of where it all began - a rarity. Most shows find out what works with the fans, then do that to death and ignore everything else. Califonication is a cut above.

EIGHT THUMBS UP.

Season 1 was good too y'know: Californication - The First Season

30 Rock s05e17 review

its my way... 'till pay day WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN

When the whole 'Queen of Jordan' episode started I thought it was just a cleaver into - I was a little pissed when I realised it was a full episode, but that quickly went away when it was one of the most brilliant episodes ever. The satire in 30 Rock is spot on. It goes right up too the line of being too much, but never actually crosses it. Jack trying his hardiest not to seem gay was the highlight of the show, as Jack is the highlight of most episodes. His whole speech about playing football in college and the repeated shot of him falling over had me laughing out loud.

D'Fwan was an amazing character. His first words on screen 'D'Fwan forgot his catchphrase!' coupled with the close-up and amazing expression was priceless. All the way through he nailed every line he had. 'I'm not just a gay hairdresser. I'm also a homosexual party planner.' If he was a real person on an actual reality TV show, I would not be surprised. 

The subplot with Frank and his old teacher didn't really do much for me. The idea was that Franks teacher from School slept with him in the 9th Grade (dunno how old that would make him) and has just got out of jail - but he's never grown up so she doesn't want to be with him anymore. The one good part of that plot was the line where the teacher asked Frank how he knew where she worked - 'Its just one of the benefits of dating a registered sex offender.'

Queen of Jordan was just everything wrong with reality TV. Reading other reviews online it seems some of the scenes and ideas were targeting specific TV shows, ones that I guess don't air over here in the UK, but I wouldn't watch them even if they did.

I'm glad shows are back after a couple of weeks off, and the Office is back next week so everythings back on track!

EIGHT THUMBS UP


watch it all blah blah 30 Rock: Season One30 Rock: Season 230 Rock: Season Three30 Rock: Season Four

House... just house.

happy people are not intresting

I'm just gonna say it - House should have ended last season. Maybe even before that. There's only so many times I can hear Foreman say 'What? There's only been a handful of documented cases in the past 50 years!' before I start to disbelieve that they're gonna come across these cases.  This last episode showed House saying that loving Cuddy made him a crappy doctor... but that she was worth it. I just didn't believe that scene, I thought House must be playing everyone to get away with something.... but no, it was real. That's not then House we love. House should have ended one of two ways. One: he's addiction finally caught up with him and he died (the best ending) or we see him finally get with Cuddy and we're left to believe they live happily ever after.

What we have now is a happy House, with no real conflict (apart from him thinking 'should I be happy? Yeah probably'). I don't give a shit about the supporting cast any more, their problems are laughable. Divorce? Room mate issues? Wilson gets a dog? What happened to staff members struggling with there own mortality, forced to experiment with drugs? Also that new redhead staff member... worst actor ever. Who the hell is she? Her thing is she's smart but naive about the real word - something that has been done far better, and more subtlety, before.

I watch it now due to some sense of loyalty to the show. It used to be amazing, and the one off weird episodes (like ones that happen only in Houses mind) can be television at its best. I still get chills when I think about the episode where House was shot, and he hallucinates an entire episode. The man who shot him features in the hallucination and gives House some hash truths:

"You pretend to buck the system, pretend to be a rebel, claim to hate rules. But all you do is substitute your own rules for society's. And it's a nice, simple rule: tell the blunt, honest truth in the starkest, darkest way. And what will be, will be. What will be, should be. And everyone else is a coward. But you're wrong. It's not cowardly to not call someone an idiot. People aren't tactful or polite just because it's nice. They do it because they've got an ounce of humility. 'Cause they know that they will make mistakes. They know that their actions have consequences. And they know that those consequences are their fault. Why do you want so bad not to be human, House"

Brilliant. Now? I couldn't care less. I hope the show gets better again, or ends on a high. Anything but this pointless limbo.


MIXED THUMBS UP

See House at his best in House, M.D.: Season One, House, M.D.: Season Two, House, M.D.: Season Three, House, M.D.: Season Four, House, M.D.: Season Five