Community (Grade: A-. The summer’s best 22-minute blockbuster. The lines are in no way indicative of how excellent this episode was, though. Also, all the best lines were by or about Sawyer.)
“He’s really good looking. Like network TV good looking. And did you see those guns?”
“Stop trying to fluster me with your handsomeness. You’re creepy.”
“OK, Black Rider. Now let’s see who’s attractive.”
“I wouldn’t go to this school with my big sister’s toe.”
The Office (Grade: C-, but a B for the ending)
“Congratulations on your one cousin. I have SEVENTY, each one better than the last.”
Parks and Recreation (Grade: A. Goddamnit: A. Honestly, a sitcom hasn’t been this consistently good since “Arrested Development.”
“The whole thing is a scam. Birthdays were invented by Hallmark to sell cards.”
“Leslie has a lot of qualities that I find horrifying. But the worst one by far is how thoughtful she can be.”
It was personal. I would never made a business call. You know that.”
“Nursing? You must be so tired. And sad.”
“Pawnee is, and always will be, a dirty little nightmare in which you’ll never wake up.”
“Would you like to borrow a mirror? Or a self-help book?”
“Take this resume and shove it into your human resources slot.”
“Don’t you dare feed that waffle to that dog to get it to poop.”
“Garbage fight!”
“In my defense, I believe that assault should be legal if you’re a jerk.”
30 Rock (Grade: A-. Ending the season on a high note.)
“Sounds like you could use a little R & R. Rum and Ritalin.”
“Now that the popsicle has melted we got a tongue depressor.”
“On days like this, we would go to Strawberry Fields in Central Park and kick hippies hacky sacks into the bushes.”
“Dave Eggers and I are designing a new font.”
“Oh noble sheep, we eat your babies. We use your brain to fight off rabies.”
“If I start screaming in my sheet. Do NOT wake me up. I will attack you.”
“I’ll cancel the sitter tonight. I’ll tell him he doesn’t need to come and sit on us after all.”
“Can I borrow a cup of sugar. I’m trying to get a hummingbird to drink out of my penis.”
“What’s your handicap?” “Uh, well. I don’t have one myself, but I do like a girl with a limp.”
“God, are you punishing me because my hair is better than yours?”
Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance
victor garber on 30 rock gave me warm fuzzies. his white hair is so cute!
Posted by: the chaplain at May 6, 2011 2:10 AM
I have always considered my self to be a man. But upon witnessing Ron Swanson feast on steak, bacon, and scotch; my testicles shrunk 3 sizes.
Posted by: Muffin at May 6, 2011 2:27 AM
I liked Jeff's continual attempts to refute Sawyer's handsomeness.
"I got a better look at him. He's not that good looking."
And Annie's rash.
"Too late bean allergy, you blew it."
Unfortunately, I missed Parks and Rec.
Posted by: Uda at May 6, 2011 2:32 AM
Toilet, not school. I'd edit, but the sites not working.
Also, Community is amazing. Anyone else notice that the animations of the cast as cards all had them as the cards they voted on Pierce with? That's the second time I've tried to describe the situation, and I have failed miserably. Oh well.
Anyway, love the return of the Christmas bully, Fat Neal, Vicki, the fact that Annie's awesome with a gun because of her crappy neighbourhood and that she's Pierce's favourite, that they haven't dropped the Pierce is a dick storyline, the D&D callbacks, the dean's "WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?" I love all the details that reward obsessive viewers.
"My forehead's not that big, right?"
"It's not small."
Community was definitely by far the best episode of the four last night. My boyfriend and I sat there grinning ear to ear for the entirety then watched it again after 30 Rock (which it was so much better than that I have no idea how they received the same ranking in your estimation.)
Parks and Rec is a great show (I'd call it cute and sentimental) but not nearly as good as you say it is. It's pretty funny (though last night's was only okay) and I love the characters but it's no Arrested Development by a long shot. Like a Michael Jordan dunk from the three-point line long shot. I feel like this is going to be one of those cases where fanboyism finds a way to diminish my enjoyment of something. We're already starting in with the ridiculous comparisons. Goddamnit, I can feel it happening!
I'm excited about The Office next week and it's been awhile since I could say that. Will Ferrell did a pretty good job and kept his zaniness in line with the show's sensibilities. I liked when Pam mocked his juggling because it was one of those moments on The Office that felt real. They have fewer and fewer of those.
Wow, this post was kind of a downer.
Posted by: becks at May 6, 2011 7:34 AM
I almost collapsed when Andy hit Tom with the garbage bag--and teeeeeny Tom went FLYING like a rag doll. Ooh, lord.
Everything Ron Swanson does is genius. Popping the sick kid's balloons so he wouldn't have to keep them? Hee.
You know, I haven't loved a show this much in a very long time. I like it more than I did the first few seasons of The Office, I think.
But, to be perfectly honest, I felt like last night's episode was a little too familiar. Parker Posey didn't do enough, and she felt a little too much like Tammy Swanson sometimes. BUT (bigger but) they made up for it with the town forum. They had gift bags! Dammit, Eagleton!
Also: Fuckers are gonna leave the Ben and Leslie making out for the season finale, aren't they? GODDAMMIT WHY DO THEY TEASE ME SO.
"Yes, hi, I have a question about your inflatable saxophones. Do they come in different sizes? I'm gonna need like 40 dozen of those. What about your neon Gangster Fedora hats?"
I gotta go with becks on this, Parks and Rec is a good show - but the slathering it receives here borders on the sycophantic. I wouldn't be shocked if the grade and quote were written before even watching the episode.
Posted by: really at May 6, 2011 9:23 AM
If I could have one TV character as my best friend it definitely would be Leslie Knope.
I used to say Buffy but then I realized my life expectancy would be really, really low.
Posted by: John W at May 6, 2011 9:59 AM
Yeah Parker Posey was a little disappointing last night, but the episode was still awesome. Ron and Andy are just so awesome that they can probably pull any episode through for at least a B. Ron's face as Ann was describing Leslie's birthday parties was incredible. I also feel like Tom and Ben work surprisingly well together.
Community was incredible. I loved them implication that Pierce really was trying to get to know Vicky better, despite using her as a dancing girl.
"Dude, you have a problem."
Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at May 6, 2011 10:09 AM
I can't get the image of Annie running down the hall out of my mind. Daddy needs a GIF. Daddy needs a GIF bad.
Posted by: logar at May 6, 2011 10:12 AM
I don't think Parks & Rec is the funniest show on TV but it is maybe my favorite. I just think I like those characters so much. They're so EARNEST that's it's completely refreshing. Assholes and dunces have been done well (Seinfeld, It's Always Sunny, Arrested Development, The Office) but Parks & Rec is just a goddamn delightful breath of fresh air. I just love 'em all.
Except for Jerry. Eugh, Jerry. He's so gross.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at May 6, 2011 10:18 AM
Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at May 6, 2011 10:19 AM
"She's a dance major! She loves Twinkies!"
Good gravy that was an awesome episode.
Posted by: Nobody's Little Weasel at May 6, 2011 10:19 AM
I'm honestly baffled now, because I thought that Community was incredibly weak. I didn't laugh once.
Posted by: Todd at May 6, 2011 10:37 AM
Parks and Rec is absolutely a great show. One of the best on TV right now, and part of that is because it's so damn consistent. But part of the reason it's so damn consistent is because they aren't recreating the wheel, they're just making an excellent, by-the-book, sitcom. It's what The Office used to be, with better characters, but with slightly less originality in structure (possibly moreso in the stories). I love the show, and it also rewards its fans. But it has a base-line of awesomesauce and only occasionally reaches higher (Ben's freak out, last week's episode, the Harvest Festival).
Community, on the other hand, as I've said ad nauseum, is rewriting what a sitcom can be. Every. Single. Episode. It didn't do this as much last season, and I think that's probably why some fans prefer that season -- it was safer, it had a consistent base-line. Now, though, it takes risks all the time, and some times doesn't succeed as well as we want (though, I don't think it has ever once failed). This is the series that future showrunners and writers will reference as an influence. And it will only partially be because of the paintball episodes; no matter if they remain the best eps in the series, they'll still merely be a piece of the whole that makes Community the most creative show on TV in the last decade.
In short, both are great, with Parks and Rec as a live action Simpsons, but Community as the actual successor. You can still love both, of course, and it's much better that way. Trust me.
I'm with Todd. I think NEXT week will be better, but this week was rather lamesauce. I do realize it may be because I haven't watched a lot of Westerns, so I may have missed some references and jokes.
And I agree with the others who think that the praise heaped upon Parks and Rec around here is a little excessive. It's a funny, often-sweet show, and I watch it every week, but it never blows me away. And it doesn't come close to Arrested Development.
Posted by: CDell at May 6, 2011 10:43 AM
As for last night... Community was epic, and once the whole two-parter is complete, it will probably top last year's paintball adventure. I would have thought that to be impossible, but, here we are. And Parks and Rec was top-notch; I especially loved an entire subplot built around Ron doing nothing -- very reminiscent of when he had the hernia and became Ron Effing Swanson. Leslie's birthday gift was perfect. I want that.
The Office was okay, the ending was decent for being a surprise and a great "NEXT!" sort of moment, but I'm just really glad to see Will Ferrel gone. He was funny in spots, but he wasn't playing a character at all; D'Angelo Vickers was not a person, merely a set of comic tics required to move the plots along. Last night's episode also soured me on Darryl as my favorite candidate for the new manager position -- now I'm just back to wanting the show to end.
30 Rock was terrible, as usual. Though, I did like the Dave Eggers-and-Twofer Font joke. The whole subplot with Jenna was the ultimate hackneyed sitcom plot, and they didn't even do anything fun with it, just ran through the same familiar beats except with crossdressing and midgets in jester outfits. That isn't a joke, Tina, that's a set-up. Pathetic. Alec Baldwin can't put this show out of its misery fast enough.
"How exciting! Every year, my aunt sends me a wool sweater for Christmas. We get it, Aunt Alice, you're a sheep!"
I laughed so hard at that line that I missed the rest of the conversation between Liz and Jenna.
My other favorite line of the night was not an actual line--it was Ron's reaction to his impending birthday celebration. The look of disgust on his face? And then the wincing when Leslie opened the door? So good.
Posted by: burpany at May 6, 2011 10:51 AM
@CDell -- for me, this week's Community was HILARIOUS because I do love those old spaghetti westerns, and this was--IMHO--a perfect parody. From the soundtrack, to the lighting, to the tone...it was a spot on parody of A Fistful of Dollars or any of the Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" trilogy. The other thing that I loved was the continuity...from Fat Neil, to the dean, to Shirley's breast milk, to Annie being Pierce's favorite, it's definitely pulling together. Plus, I think it's interesting they've seemingly acknowledged one of the complaints viewers have had all season, that Pierce has become a huge jerk. I'm looking forward to the finale to see just what this will turn into.
Hmm. You think Parks and Rec gets overpraised here? That's exactly how I feel about Community--except that I think any praise for it is too much praise.
Hey guess what! We all like different things! At different levels! Whoaaaaa!
But my point is that I just found out the awesomenest news ever: The next two weeks are gonna have FULL HOUR eps of Parks and Rec. Imma do a little dance at my desk.
Thank you Socrates_Johnson. Thank you. She's going to make an infant very happy one day.
Posted by: logar at May 6, 2011 11:24 AM
Community was amazing. Instead of using last year's success as a crutch, they injected another theme (Tarantino-esque Western) and made if stylistically awesome. Again. I also like the division of the two parts -- part 1 is about the conflict with Pierce and introducing the Black Rider, who had sure as hell better be back in part 2. Part 2, apparently, is an escalation, introducing an outside force to challenge the group, which will either force them to redefine themselves or accept Pierce again.
And. Holy shit. Annie Edison is mindfuckingly hot in this episode. I love westerns.
Posted by: Alex at May 6, 2011 11:33 AM
Am I the only one who laughed at, "TELL YOUR WHORE TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"?
Posted by: Will at May 6, 2011 11:54 AM
Wow. I loved both Community and Parks and Rec last night. I think RobP nails it, Parks and Rec is taking pieces from a lot of different shows and putting them together in a deeply satisfying whole. It's got a bit of the Arrested Development wit, the lovability of the Office characters (seasons 2-4), and it's got one of the greatest characters ever in Ron Swanson. Community's doing new and better things every week, though. It's so smart, it's so subtle at times, and it's just so awesome. I can't wait for next week.
Posted by: jmag at May 6, 2011 12:34 PM
So has anyone figured out who everyone in Community was supposed to be? Abed was the most obvious. Troy is Bart from Blazing Saddles. Shirley is Sister Sara. I think that Pierce is Maverick. I'm not sure who Britta or Annie are supposed to be but after looking around to place Jeff's outfit, I think that Jeff is Walker Texas Ranger.
Posted by: Melody Be at May 6, 2011 12:40 PM
Wow, Will Farrell was bad on The Office! I was hoping he'd get decapitated in the last episode.
Posted by: snapnhiss at May 6, 2011 1:10 PM
Britta might be Cat Ballou.
Posted by: Melody Be at May 6, 2011 1:12 PM
Parks and Rec is so good now. It has surpassed Community as my favorite show currently on the air.
Posted by: adff at May 6, 2011 1:52 PM
I'm not sure anyone other than Troy and Abed were dressing up as specific characters, as Clevon Little and Clint Eastwood, respectively, from Blazing Saddles and Fistful of Dollars (obviously). Jeff, I think, was simply wearing his cowboy outfit from season 1's Halloween episode. Shirley was an ass kickin' priest, which is a fairly common trope in Westerns, as is the gambler get-up that Pearce was wearing -- though, that could be a Maverick reference, but considering the character's point of reference, specifically the old show and not the Mel Gibson movie. Annie was originally dressed as a fancy Western lady, which was then turned into a sort of Annie Oakley ensemble once the paintball match started; so it probably isn't an exact recreation. I don't even remember what Britta was wearing... guess that means I have to re-watch the show. Oh, bother.
"Deer god, thank you for the venison. Onion god, thank you for the onions..."
Posted by: holfax at May 6, 2011 6:24 PM
Was I the only one who caught/appreciated Annie saying, "Well I want pants, but we can't always get what we want." Or something to that affect. Something about her acknowledging that she wasn't actually wearing pants. And it was awesome.
Posted by: SJ from SJ at May 6, 2011 8:27 PM
Haha, wow Figgy, you don't like Community? I've never read anything like that from you before.
Posted by: becks at May 6, 2011 9:03 PM
I know, right! I'm so quiet about the things I hate.
I thought Annie was dressed as a saloon hall girl, and man that girl is good with a gun.
Posted by: kirbyjay at May 6, 2011 10:17 PM
A saloon girl with no pants.
Posted by: kirbyjay at May 6, 2011 10:18 PM
You...you...you actually gave 30 Rock THE SAME GRADE as Community? There are no words.
I'm done with 30 Rock. Either it's changed or I've changed, because IMHO the 2nd season was the best ("just because I'm an ignorant black man and you paid me a nickel to bust up your chiffarobe...") and it's been going downhill ever since, culminating with whatever the hell that Jack/Kenneth storyline was. I can't take it anymore.
Posted by: Three-nineteen at May 6, 2011 11:52 PM
I love both Community and Parks and Rec, but I feel like Parks and Rec occasionally gets caught with a 15 minute storyline they have to extend into a 24 minute episode (I watch on Hulu) To accommodate for that they pack more jokes in, but at a certain point I feel like they just need to stop with the nonsense and progress the plot.
Community wasn't very funny last night, but it was fun as hell to watch.
I laugh at 30 rock for the same reasons I laugh at family guy at this point, it's not complex or intelligent comedy and most of the jokes fall flat, but occasionally a joke hits me in just the right way to prompt a hearty chuckle.
Posted by: jfry at May 7, 2011 12:01 PM
This has been a terrible season for 30 Rock, absolutely terrible.
And Will Ferrel's character on The Office was the pits. There wasn't a damn thing likable or endearing about him, and nothing he did was wacky or silly or stupid enough to be remotely funny or entertaining. I really hope his run is over now. I'm not quite sure how the show can redeem itself at this point.
Posted by: mb at May 7, 2011 6:06 PM
Good day to everyone. Being a "public property" (as we all believed that entertainers are) i for one respect Mr. Bieber as human and i understand his feelings and on the time that he had his concert in Manila (whatever it is...he is sick...), supposedly he asked his bodyguards or the In-charge of the concert to excuse himself that no autograph signing or pictorial after his concert down to airport for the fact that he is not feeling well, he should not act as if he will be served by excited teens and adults filipinos, remember Mr. Bieber that those fans of yours are your source of what you are enjoying right now, you choose to be an entertainer so be it, as the saying goes "the show must go on" whether you like it or not, the only thing is just, be kind as possible because you choose to be in the limelight. This is not only for Mr. Bieber but also to all our local,and foreign actors, actresses or entertainers for that matter in fairness, we fans should also be conscious of what our entertainers are feeling, r doing for the moment if we can be polite i am pretty sure they will not be rude too. "positive actions begets positive actions", "positive attitudes begets positive attitudes" learn from your experience guys.....good luck for more local and foreign concerts to come....
victor garber on 30 rock gave me warm fuzzies. his white hair is so cute!