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The 10 Best Episodes of the Week: Some of You Are Horrible People

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under TV Reviews | Comments (18)

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(Publisher’s Note: I’m sorry. I don’t watch “Downton Abby,” and it is therefore not part of this week’s rankings. Please don’t make me watch another show. You’re going to make me watch another show, aren’t you? Goddamnit. And on Sunday, too? Like there’s not enough to cram in on Sunday night.)

10. The Firm: Sarah will have our official review of “The Firm” up tomorrow, and I’m guessing she won’t like it very much. But I’m also guessing she doesn’t have a home-state affection for Josh Lucas. That said, I doubt you’ll ever see the show in the weekly top 10 again.

9. Revenge: I’m not going to bail on “Revenge.” I have every intention of following it through until the end of the season. But, it has lost a lot of its magic. The revenge-of-the-week conceit the first few episodes promised us has fallen by the wayside and now it’s just another nighttime soap opera with pretty people. It’s OK, but not all that compelling anymore, and this “game-changing” episode didn’t do a lot to change that dynamic.

8. The Middle: I watch maybe every other episode of “The Middle,” and they’re all middling to pretty good. This week’s — “The Year of the Hecks” — fell into the pretty good category, and thanks to little competition, makes its first entrances into the top 10.

7. House of Lies: I completely agree with Seth’s review of the new Showtime dramedy. Not a very good show, but I really liked it anyway, mostly because of the presence of Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell. I’m definitely in for the season.

6. Modern Family: “Modern Family” may now be the worst show I will never miss, and this is one of the increasingly infrequent episodes that demonstrated exactly why. It’s mediocre on most weeks, but when it’s good, it’s really good.

5. How I Met Your Mother: Ted is still a huge douche, as the Puzzles subplot re-confirmed, but Marshall continues to make “HIMYM” ever so heart-warming.

4. Happy Endings: The only thing missing from Max and Jane’s outstanding storyline this week was Weezer’s “The Sweater Song.”

3. The Good Wife: “The Good Wife” didn’t miss a beat, delivering another solid episode in its winter premiere that brought back the awesomely quirky redheaded lawyer, who forced Wendy Scott-Carr to indict Will Gardner. The episode also explored one of my favorite things about “The Good Wife”: The ongoing office politics.

2. Shameless: Not a perfect episode, but a really good introduction to season two that opens up a lot of possibilities. See also my review.

1. Parenthood: Look, I’m not going to say that if you didn’t mist up at this week’s episode of “Parenthood” that you are soulless, but I will say that you are a horrible person. I mean, Jesus: What is wrong with you? Oh, and look, not-horrible-people: The New Yorker has now validated our love of the show.

Week after week, “Parenthood,” on NBC, risks corniness, tiptoes up to the edge of conventionality, then delivers real emotion. Its strength is arguably as valuable as the ability of other series to agitate their fans: it manages to be warm, even sentimental, without being dumb.

(Phantom #1: Sherlock Holmes — I am not watching “Sherlock” right now because doing so would be wrong. But if I were, the last two episodes would definitely be number one, and I’d totally endorse the handling of Irene Adler.)









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Comments

Ah, the Curse of being Yurpean: Sherlock is the only thing I've seen. Legit, because I get the BBC.

For which I have been very, very grateful indeed for the past few weeks.

I basically told my boyfriend I'd break up with him if we weren't home in time for Sherlock and you know what? TOTALLY worth it.

Irene's thin lippage pisses me off though, but then again, the woman uses Battersea Power Station as a location for a top secret rendez-vouz. I appreciate that.

Posted by: Zirze at January 9, 2012 2:14 PM

Also, Downton ABBEY.

Fuck yeah.

Posted by: Zirze at January 9, 2012 2:15 PM

"Revenge" was fun but the resolution didn't seem to move the plot forward. I still think Tyler is the one who gets shot on the beach and not Daniel.

Posted by: TylerDFC at January 9, 2012 2:29 PM

Sherlock Holmes, Holy Jesus. That show didn't lose a fucking step, pardon my unconfuckingtrollable language, the episode was definitely #1.

Posted by: jeaux schmeaux at January 9, 2012 2:34 PM

how are we going to decide who is less vain?
Throw acid at each other's faces?

oh happy endings this week you were so very awesome.

Posted by: rio at January 9, 2012 2:56 PM

Getting out of the Braverman house was such a good move for Parenthood. Those shots of them driving were SO beautiful. Reminded me of the way they shot Texas in FNL.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at January 9, 2012 2:57 PM

I love Sherlock more than is really appropriate. Benedict Cumberbatch is now number one on my Weird Crush list - although he has to be in character. There's something about the sociopathic tendencies coupled with those eyes that makes me very happy in my pants.
I probably shouldn't look too closely at that particular fetish.

In other news, for any fan of Downton, the Comic Relief 'Uptown Downstairs Abbey' spoof is over on youtube and really is bloody hilarious.

Posted by: Leelee at January 9, 2012 2:57 PM

Funny, I just started watching "Downtown Abbey", but haven't got around to "Parenthood", nor "Shameless". But which is better? (But Shameless has nude Emmy Rossum...hmm..)

Posted by: PG13 at January 9, 2012 3:18 PM

Let's all just pause for a moment and look again at the publicity shot for The Good Wife....

WTF is going on? Where are they looking?

(Yes, I know they were probably all shot at different times against a white backround and photoshopped in, but it's silly)

Posted by: Nick at January 9, 2012 3:34 PM

If I was watching Sherlock right now, I would tell you that you are wrong about Irene Adler. But I guess that discussion will have to wait until we have actually seen the episode.

I love Diane Lockhart so much. She is my hero, the way she handles both Eli and David Lee, who reminded me so much of Napoleon in that outfit. And the redheaded lawyer's name is Elsbeth. How does someone forget the name Elsbeth?

Downton Abbey did not disappoint. Bates, come back! Carson, don't die! Thomas, I hate you and pity you at the same time! O'Brien, just when I thought you were pure evil, you had to go and actually BE NICE to someone! Matthew, you are really sweet and looked hot even in that ridiculous uniform!

Posted by: Three-nineteen at January 9, 2012 3:36 PM

I feel like all those people on The Good Wife are staring at that stack of bills on the right side of my desk, and are some how either aggravated at me or really trying to get a good look at how much is my company phone bill.

Stop staring you judgmental, hautey assholes. I will get to those bills tomorrow.

Dont pretend like you aint looking, Christine.

Of course, the old hag aint care. Her shit dont stink, and she hasn't had to look at a bill in her life. I will kick you in your Depends, Skeletor.

Posted by: L.O.V.E. at January 9, 2012 4:05 PM

Both "The Middle" and "Suburgatory" were excellent last week.
And I'll give Grey's credit, a sobfest like that gets the S.O. revved up and ready to go!

Posted by: grumpiestoldman at January 9, 2012 4:08 PM

My main cluster of friends is comprised, for the most part, by architects and they are all lovely snobby douchebags. Ted Mosby takes the lovely out of the equation plus the total lack of gravitas. Less believable profession attributed to a character ever.

Posted by: MrLotney at January 9, 2012 4:55 PM

No love for "Hell on Wheels"? NOT saying it's a great show but it's a welcome bright spot during the holiday re-runs.

Posted by: logan at January 9, 2012 6:47 PM

I agree about the Max/Jane story line being awesome, but it also makes me worried because it was the most engaging funny plot line, but it was plot line C and it left me wishing I had DVR just so I would fast forward all the other parts.

Posted by: brdkelli at January 9, 2012 7:55 PM

I have it on good authority that the peeps in the header pic are in those strange, stilted positions not because of photoshop, or L.O.V.E.'s bills, but because they have only just heard of the incoming Balaban apocalypse.

It may be months away yet, but, like most people, it's probably the first time they realised the nature of the cataclysm, and, yes, it's shocking.

Some of them have probably met the Balaban. I haven't, but I have, and I was shocked, but I wasn't because I knew. I knew.

So they're doing what I did: they are practicing the positions that they - like the forever preserved ex-denizens of Pompeii - would like to be frozen in when the unavoidable Balabgeddon arrives.

Not that there's much point because Balabgeddon will erase the nature of time, so it's not like anyone will be able to check your fine, prone self out in a few years. But hey, what else are you gonna fill your time with once you have stared into the maw of the abyss?

Like Nietzsche said, 'When you stare long enough into enough into the abyss, yep; it's short and bald.'

Ask Kinnear. He knows.

Posted by: zeke the pig at January 10, 2012 6:51 AM

even though the ending to Irene Adler's story was a bit silly, I still love Benedict Cimberbatch despite his goat eyes.

Posted by: countfosco at January 10, 2012 10:03 AM

Just found out the other day that Elsbeth Somethingsomething, I think her real name is Carrie Preston, is married to Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost). I love her character on The Good Wife, I hope they keep her coming back.

What the Heck? The Middle is never middling, it may not always be a laugh riot but it is a good solid show with some funny characters.

Paul Rudd on Parks and Rec
Shameless has returned
Life IS good!

Posted by: kirbyjay at January 10, 2012 10:22 AM