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The Pajiba Power Rankings

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under TV Reviews | Comments (49)

The-Walking-Dead-Photo-Promo-A.jpg

10. The C Word: The season finale didn’t redeem the entire mediocre first-season run, but the last few moments were definitely heart-wrenching enough to warrant its inclusion in this week’s power rankings.

9. Raising Hope: The only family sitcom on television that could successfully center its story on the sex offender registry without coming off as creepy.

8. Modern Family: No matter what happens on this show, they always seem to be able to pull off the whiplash poignancy in the final moments, here at Manny’s birthday party after a stressful trip to the restaurant for the entire family.

7. Friday Night Lights: Who else is loving all the casting crossover between “Parenthood” (on a down week) and “Friday Night Lights.” It’s kind of jarring, however, to see Vince’s mom on “Friday Night Lights” play a therapist in “Parenthood,” while Vince plays a recovering alcoholic.

6. 30 Rock: Lemon got to be cool for 21 minutes; the last minute turned on her. But the highlight of the show? Alec Baldwin’s voice on Pronouncify.com. Oh, and I also hate it when people pronounce schedule “shed-yule.”

5. Sons of Anarchy: Despite a sluggish season, this week’s episode breaks the top five for one scene alone, the one where Jax — contemplating giving up Abel — spied on the two potential adoptive parents and mulled over how much better off Abel would be. That was some real “SoA” anguish.

4. How I Met Your Mother: Robin Sparkles returns! “Two Beavers Are Better than One.” See the recap.

3. Terriers: It is looking more and more likely that “Terriers” will be a one-season show, as the ratings are completely in the tank, despite Rusty’s efforts to get you folks to tune in. The problem is: There’s no use in tuning in now, with two episodes left, because it’s better from the beginning. Except the first two episodes were only mediocre. So, the trick is to get you all to watch from the beginning, look past the mediocrity of the first two eps, and enjoy the rest of one of the best series on television right now. There probably won’t be a second season, but you really should check out the first.

2. Community: Another excellent episode, this one dealing with conspiracy theories and an ending with a hilariously absurd amount of twists.

1. The Walking Dead: This one was last week’s (see TK’s recap). Check back tomorrow for a recap of this week’s episode.










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Comments

Will there be a recap of the BEST EPISODE EVARR of Dexter this week?

Posted by: sansho1 at November 22, 2010 1:05 PM

no Dexter? blasphemy

Posted by: Taylor K. at November 22, 2010 1:13 PM

boardwalk empire?

Posted by: idleprimate at November 22, 2010 1:16 PM

You know, I really thought SoA was going for something spectacular there when Jax let Abel go. Then they went and ruined it.

And, really, Tara's attacked someone else now? They can barely cover up all the crap Gemma's done. How are they going to cover up for both women now?

Terriers is amazing. I hate what you're writing about it Dustin and you can go to HELL. :( Even though I know it's not your fault. A premature death for a series with a lot of promise (Life!).

Episode 3 of the Walking Dead was the absolute best thus far. Episode 4 had some moments nearly as powerful, but the final sequence was just a disaster of continuity problems.

Posted by: lubeg at November 22, 2010 1:22 PM

Walking Dead is so terrible! I'm so confused by all the positive reviews it's getting. It has some redeeming qualities: beautifully shot, great gore...and that is it. The characters are so poorly drawn--their motivations don't make any sense, and the dialogue is so cringe-worthy and stilted. Ugh. I love zombie apocalypses as much as the next person, and I'll probably keep watching but so far I am not impressed.

Posted by: 2Sassy at November 22, 2010 1:22 PM

Of course Terriers is being canceled. I like it.

Posted by: Keith at November 22, 2010 1:31 PM

I disagree with DR about the first two episodes of Terriers not being good, I was impressed from the beginning. The tone of the show changes a bit later but I would hardly call the first two episodes mediocre. I WILL echo Dustin's comment that the series is best seen from the beginning because of the season long story arcs and development of Hank and Britt.

From the reviews that I have read, the season, and probably series, finale is among the best endings of a show in recent memory and makes the show work very well as a one season wonder. You aren't left with a bunch of loose ends if it is canceled but they left room to continue if they are given the opportunity.

Posted by: Porkchop Express at November 22, 2010 1:43 PM

The WEEDS finale was fucking outstanding. The final 30 seconds was better than most movies. Ridiculous to leave it off the list. Fantastic capper to the best season since the first.

Posted by: TylerDFC at November 22, 2010 1:44 PM

Damn it! That last episode of Terriers was the best one yet and that's saying a lot. I'm going to be seriously depressed if they don't extend the show.

Posted by: Paultera at November 22, 2010 1:50 PM

I don't watch most of this stuff, but it must be some pretty outstanding television if Boardwalk Empire keeps getting shut out.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at November 22, 2010 1:52 PM

I guess I need to see if I can nab Boardwalk Empire on iTunes.

Posted by: lubeg at November 22, 2010 2:00 PM

Lubeg, as much as I don't want to hear Dustin's talk, he is right. The show would need to at the very least triple its audience though it probably needs much more than that. If it were to get renewed, FX would be making a pretty bold statement about quality programming versus revenue, though. I would be forever indebted to them.

FX should take quite a bit of blame fort the low ratings because of its terrible commercials and marketing. Many people thought the show was about dogs. It also didn't help that the Fox and Dish Network dispute kept people from being able to tune in unless they went online to watch. Then there is also the problem that because of the language, FX is unable to run a weekend marathon to catch up new viewers. It is hard to find all the episodes on the net as Hulu only has the last 4 or so. CAST TV is the only source that has them all.

All in all, it doesn't look good. But it was a really great single season.

Posted by: Porkchop Express at November 22, 2010 2:01 PM

"The C Word?" Come on, Rowles. You're better than that, right?

Posted by: nolalola at November 22, 2010 2:02 PM

Lubeg, as much as I don't want to hear Dustin's talk, he is right.

Posted by: Porkchop Express at November 22, 2010 2:01 PM

Oh don't I know it. I knew it the instant the show took that really dark turn during the episode where Hank actually got his mortgage.

That doesn't change the fact that I'm going to sit in the corner of my room and sulk like an angry 8 year old.

Posted by: lubeg at November 22, 2010 2:07 PM

Community is starting to suck.

Posted by: seth at November 22, 2010 2:12 PM

I also hate it when people pronounce schedule “shed-yule.”

I hate that too. Why? I don't know.

Posted by: MM at November 22, 2010 2:15 PM

I don't understand why people still like the Walking Dead. Nothing anyone does would make sense in an Apocalypse. What follows could be spoilers, but at this point it's been long enough that I'm not really giving anything important/unpredictable away. Problems with the Walking Dead:

1. Why go back to save him? WHY???? He's not only unhelpful, but downright destructive. Tell me you're going back for weapons, but don't hinge the entire trip on that dude.
2. Grimes could never have survived, which is fine, he needed to have had that situation in order for his journey to make sense. But why does he perpetually have the same amount of beard stubble and hair length with no grooming tools?
3. What was up with the sadistic husband at the "watering hole?" Oh, right, he needed to be there to show how upset Grimes' old partner is about having Grimes back. Whatever.
4. Why were you all in the department store to begin with? How was that possibly a place for supplies?
5. So, it's like impossible to get the construction van & get out of the city, but you just stroll back in easy-peasy? And then ditch the van? And then stroll up the suddenly empty stairwell? Okey doke.
6. The son absolutely would've woken up with you two sadly boning right next to his head.

Posted by: nolalola at November 22, 2010 2:15 PM

nolaloa,

1. I think it was pretty clearly expressed how little everyone thought of Merle. Rick Grimes explained his reasoning for going back to free the man. If you missed it, watch it again. His moral code wouldn't allow for it. He also wanted to get the weapons and the walkie talkie that was necessary to prevent the guy and his son who saved him from walking into the trap he walked into in Atlanta.

2. It's a TV show, that's why. Maybe he likes that look and shaves every day (off screen) to keep it that way.

3. Sometimes husbands beat their wives. Sad, but true. Nothing said only "good" people will survive the zombie apocalypse. It also gave you the shot of his beaten face which looked somewhat like a zombie, playing on the whole human's are monsters too angle.

4. It was an easy "base of operations". Glenn knew the way in and out. It was more or less secure, so long as the zombies didn't get riled up. It was a secure launching pad for the scavenging runs.

5. I don't understand your point here. It all made sense to me.

6. Maybe he's a really sound sleeper.

Posted by: FordbiddenDonut at November 22, 2010 2:25 PM

I am enjoying the Walking Dead, but it doesn't belong at the top. Terriers, Community, Boardwalk Empire, Fringe, Raising Hope and Modern Family all had better weeks. Walking Dead has all kinds of problems with plot and dialogue. Nothing that can't be fixed next season but it certainly was not the best thing on TV last week. A little too much pro zombie bias here at Pajiba. If this was the same show with werewolves or vampires it wouldn't get nearly the same love here.

Posted by: ed newman at November 22, 2010 2:25 PM

Where's the Dexter love? It has really been hitting its stride as of late.

Posted by: annoyingmouse at November 22, 2010 2:35 PM

I also hate it when people pronounce schedule “shed-yule.”

Patrick Stewart says, "Fuck you, too."

Posted by: Rykker at November 22, 2010 2:52 PM

Zombies are more interesting than werewolves or vampires because we can envision a not-too-ridiculous line of logic that allows for their existence. Also they're completely gross so they make for gorgeous visuals. People should like zombies more.

As for Walking Dead, it certainly isn't perfect but it's very entertaining and keeps me interested every week. I hope the dialogue improves and that I start to feel a bit more for the characters but it's been a solid ride so far and I'm not complaining.

Community is still hilarious, week after week. The funniest show on television.

Posted by: becks at November 22, 2010 2:59 PM

Whatttt. Dexter is not on this list, but How I Met Your Mother is in FOURTH place? The whole Robin Sparkles thing? -- we've seen that before. It's getting old. And the episode starred Nicole "Pussycat" Scherzinger, for crying out loud. I expect better from this site.

Posted by: Thijs at November 22, 2010 3:11 PM

i'm with 2sassy, walking dead is watchable, but the characters are really not distinctive and their interactions and motivations are always in overdrive with no nuance or depth. and the plot is kind pot-holed in ways that just scream out 'cheaped out on the script'. also, there is a very confusing sense of time to the story which also represents a weakness in storytelling. these things jar me out of the story, out of the drama. I end up not having tension or a sense of jeopardy--not really engaged with it.

again, it's watchable and has nice production values, but after the way people have talked about it, and the quality AMC achieved with Breaking Bad, it has been a let down.

incidentally, it plays plausibly that they go back for crackie the cracker. they have to live with the brother, the cop and the guy who dropped the key feel guilty, and I had the impression that both cracker brothers are the rural, hunting expert connections. they might be loathsome, but are necessary. desperate times.

i haven't seen ep 4 yet, but the end of ep 3 left me laughing my ass off and then pissed that they would write something so stupid as him cutting his hand off instead of the cuffs or the bolt. it was cheap sensationalism at the expense of verisimilitude.

Posted by: idleprimate at November 22, 2010 3:26 PM

i haven't seen ep 4 yet, but the end of ep 3 left me laughing my ass off and then pissed that they would write something so stupid as him cutting his hand off instead of the cuffs or the bolt. it was cheap sensationalism at the expense of verisimilitude.

The hacksaw was too dull to cut through the pipe or handcuffs. It was a crappy old, tool taken from the tool bag of an old man who drives around the US in a beat-up RV. How's that for some verisimilitude?

Eh. Show's not perfect. It has some holes in it, no doubt. There are things it could do better, but I'm still enjoying the hell out of it. Quickest hour of TV I've watched in years. I actually look forward to Sunday nights, instead of just dreading them.

Posted by: FordbiddenDonut at November 22, 2010 3:34 PM

Last episode of Cougar Town was absolutely hilarious (also love that they wrote "It's okay to watch a show called) above the title). Such an underestimated funny, funny show.

Posted by: schmerpes at November 22, 2010 3:39 PM

What if one happens to have been raised where everybody says "shed-yule" and to change how one says it now would just look like pandering?

Do I also have to start saying Noter Dayme?

Posted by: PaddyDog at November 22, 2010 3:42 PM

In a zombie apocalypse, it's important to save everyone; even the assholes. Every living body is one less zombie and the epidemic can only burn out when the infections stop. Those who were infected first will die first from lack of food, but each new infection keeps the epidemic going and increases their numbers relative to yours as well as prolonging the time to burn out and therefore reducing your chances of outliving the event. So even though Merle was a walking insult to genetics, it's in the interest of the survivors to try to keep him from being infected.

Posted by: PaddyDog at November 22, 2010 3:46 PM

Fringe was amazing this week. Definitely better than half the shows on this list, but that's just me.

Posted by: camila at November 22, 2010 3:58 PM

the hacksaw made it through bone.

Posted by: idleprimate at November 22, 2010 4:13 PM

The bones in the wrist are some of the smallest and easily broken in the body. They would be far easier to cut through than the handcuff metal.

Posted by: PaddyDog at November 22, 2010 4:18 PM

Seriously, idle, weak comeback.

Posted by: Rykker at November 22, 2010 4:31 PM

Generally, I have no problems with the logic contained in The Walking Dead, the TV show or the comic. But I will say, Merle is the kind of guy I would unflinchingly use as bait or a distraction if I were on the roof of a building being swarmed by zombies. At that moment in time, that's the most useful thing he could've done. I love that actor, but that character (and its creation) are completely misguided.

But I don't love this show, and not since the premier has it deserved to be numero uno on any "Best of" lists. For zombie fiction, yeah, it's one of the best things ever. But for engaging, inherently worthwhile television (just by virtue of its existence)? No. Definitely not.

We're four episodes in, two left in the season. As much as I'm digging the books (and, honestly, I don't love the books either, but they're better from a purely objective point of view), I doubt I'll watch season two if the proceedings don't get back to, or closer to, the heights of the premier.

And I think it's funny that some of the complaints here are about the dialogue, and the lack of, or seemingly nonsensical nature of, actions/motivations. Trust me, the dialogue in the comic is worse, and when the characters do speak, they pretty much only do so at length in stilted exposition that explains what they're doing and why. (Based on the first two and a half graphic novels, anyway.) It's tedious and boring, but at least the characters feel real outside of that. Every character that's died, I knew their name beforehand. That didn't happen last night.

Honestly, since the premier, the entire project seems... rushed.

Posted by: RobP at November 22, 2010 4:59 PM

yeah, i guess the wrist isn't exactly the sturdiest part of the body. it just seemed funny because i have used a hack saw to cut through steel. then again, cuffs are pretty easy to pick when you have one hand free. perhaps I'll just toss this one up to the awesome decision making abilities of the cracker

Posted by: idleprimate at November 22, 2010 5:24 PM

Really liked the Community episode and Jax's following scene in SoA packed the same punch as late Season 1/Season 2 episodes. Just what the show needed.

Posted by: grace b at November 22, 2010 6:24 PM

so...these weekly Power Rankings confirm that no one on this website watches It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. that kind of makes me sad.

Posted by: ivn at November 22, 2010 6:44 PM

How about on Sons of Anarchy when Gemma HELD A GUN TO A BABY?!? Jesus, Gemma!

She's sooo my hero.

Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at November 22, 2010 7:46 PM

it was cheap sensationalism at the expense of verisimilitude.

And the question is: What does sawing off your hand to escape handcuffs have in common with 99 percent of Hollywood sex scenes?

But seriously, I bought the saw, and I bought the return to Atlanta. Walking Dead is far from perfect, but it sure is a refreshing departure for serial television. Similar to what someone else said above, I actually look forward to Sunday night television because of it and Boardwalk.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at November 22, 2010 8:39 PM

Does Venture Brothers count as this week? Cause that episode was amazing

Posted by: Ben at November 22, 2010 8:57 PM

I also hate it when people pronounce schedule “shed-yule.”

Patrick Stewart Captain Picard says, "Fuck you, too." And then he says "EnGAGE".

That looks even more appropriate.

Posted by: Uriah Creep at November 22, 2010 9:46 PM

Fuck you, you anti-pretentious shit. "Shed-yule" is the British pronunciation of schedule. If you ever spent any time outside of North America as anything other than a tourist you would know that. I am American and I say "shed-yule," not because I am a pretentious ass, but because I spent time in Europe teaching British English to the masses.

Posted by: Morgan LaFai at November 23, 2010 4:21 AM

To clarify, not that anyone is reading, by masses I meant the middle class who could afford English lessons because it bettered their career prospects. Why it is the masses wanted a mostly US accent with UK vocabulary (which is what they wanted and paid for) I cannot begin to understand.

Posted by: Morgan LaFai at November 23, 2010 4:30 AM

If the "Modern Family" episode this week was the one with Manny's birthday party at the restaurant, then a) we must be pretty much running alongside you guys, and b) I thought it was a really great episode (although I can't speak to its ranking as I haven't seen the competition). The bit where Gloria shot Manny's inflatable with the BB gun and then said, "I could unbutton your shirt if I wanted to" ... ah, I love Gloria. (As does Mr L, although possibly not for the same reasons.)

Posted by: lingli at November 23, 2010 7:14 AM

Also, not everyone in the UK says "shed-yule". It's "sked-yule" for a lot of Scots. Not that I care either way, tbh.

Posted by: lingli at November 23, 2010 7:15 AM

I liked the pilot of Terriers, but it's the only episode I've seen so far. I don't count as viewership though, since it isn't available in my country. Props to Porkchop for bringing it to my attention.

I'd agree Boardwalk Empire was worthy of such a list, and the latest episode was even better.

Why wasn't there a recap of last week's episode of Dexter?

Posted by: Uda at November 23, 2010 7:58 AM

Another vote for "Dexter", which has been breathtakingly good this season, and has been getting more brilliant better w/each episode.

Posted by: bcarter3 at November 23, 2010 9:49 AM

Going back for Merle means he has to leave his newly-found wife & son, which makes no sense. If he'd been the one stuck on the roof, I don't think he would've wanted anyone to try to get back in to save him.

I buy PaddyDog's explanation more: every non-zombie should stay that way to keep the zombie numbers down. That makes more sense than "moral code" when his moral code dictates he leave his family to save an asshole.

Getting out of Atlanta, with the van, took everything they had. The fact that it was so easy for them to get back IN to the department store, after abandoning the van on the outskirts of town, makes no sense. It should be as hard to get past the zombies whether you're trying to get in or out.

Remember after 9/11 when everyone banded together? This was nowhere near as bad as a zombie apocalypse, and yet we were all really united and nicer to each other. I'd think, in the face of a zombie apocalypse, when you're one of maybe 13 other living humans, you'd get along really well BECAUSE of the situation. So all the BS grudges, racism, wife-beating would go away for a while. Humans, by nature, work together and bond in survival situations, at least until they can't anymore (ie: have to revert to cannibalism). That's what bugs me. I can't buy the human response in this show, so I can't buy any of it.

Fringe has been amazing, though, and I can suspend my disbelief for it because it's so freaking good.

Posted by: nolalola at November 23, 2010 12:35 PM

so...these weekly Power Rankings confirm that no one on this website watches It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. that kind of makes me sad.
Posted by: ivn at November 22, 2010 6:44 PM

Seriously. That "You Will Never Ever Ever Meet the Mother" shit is on here and not "It's Always Sunny" or "Dexter"? And what happened to the "Dexter" recaps?? Arghhh.

Posted by: Cruise at November 23, 2010 9:31 PM

How I Met Your Mother? Fuck. Really?

Posted by: Seany D at November 25, 2010 6:28 PM