Sitcoms Part 2...and some other stuff

Community, 8pm on NBC
I seem to be the odd man out compared to the rest of the internet this morning, but I did not think this was among the strongest episodes of this series.  I always love scenes where Abed tries to make everyone live life like a movie, so the slow-motion march to the space shuttle made me laugh, but there were only a couple of other big moments in the episode for me.  The best was probably Troy threatening to kill Annie, which was delivered with the same tone as the choloform scene from a couple of episodes, which was a series highlight.  And of course, the self-aware KFC advertising was pretty great, and well-established in NBC's wheelhouse.

30 Rock, 8:30pm on NBC
All I want to do is refer to last night's live episodes of 30 Rock as "much ballyhooed," but that is lame, and I am cool.  I was really impressed with the fact that the cast performed two live versions of the show, for the East Coast and West Coast broadcasts, and I have to say that watching the episode made me feel like I was part of a television event, which is not a mood that's easy to create in this post-TiVo world.  The pacing and camera work was weird, but this was a live staging of a show that we are not used to watching with an audience's laugh track, so no big deal there.  Chris Parnell seemed the most comfortable of the main cast members, but the highlight was definitely Jon Hamm, whose amorous hand (West Coast feed) had me laughing for a solid five minutes.  That he is so good at this kind of comedy, but is also Don Draper, makes me love him even more.  It was a very smartly written episode, and the live show within a live show added protection from any number of mishaps Tracy Morgan outbursts.  The way that Julia Louis-Dreyfus was used was perfect and clever (remember Tina Fey's Emmy speech?), and any reference to young hot Alec Baldwin is great.

The Office, 9pm on NBC
Just like the 'lip dub' cold open that kicked off the season, this episode was a great contribution to send off Steve Carrell.  Melora Hardin's brief scene made me desperately miss the time when she was a series regular, but I am definitely looking forward to Amy Ryan's upcoming guest-starring run.  While the Michael storyline was definitely the heart of the episode, I absolutely loved Andy getting to use his Cornell RA skills to teach his officemates about sexual health and acceptance.  He is so clearly someone whose happiness and power peaked in college, and it is so sad to watch that play out.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 10pm on FX
This was a great episode.  I love the battle between Team Dee/Dennis and Team Mac/Charlie, and it was great to finally have that battle distilled down to a class war.  Everything about Charlie thinking his jean cutoffs were not white trash, and Dee/Dennis/Frank at the public pool was hilarious.  The more absurd of a character Frank becomes, the more he adds to the mix.

Jersey Shore, 10pm on MTV
Well, it's happened.  Jersey Shore fatigue.  I will watch the season finale next week, but I can't see caring about these awful people for one more season.  "The Situation" in particular makes me want to jump off a cliff, but DJ Pauly D, Vinny, Ronni, and Sammi are only marginally better.  Now, if Snooki and J-WOWW were to get their own show, I could see watching that.

Grey's Anatomy, 9pm on ABC
This episode had actual admirable character development, which was a nice surprise.  And Dr. Altman was rapidly becoming one of my least favorite characters on the show, but at least she finally told off Dr. Avery for flirting with her.  Oh, Dr. Avery - or as I remember him, the Hotness Monster from Greek - so glad he finally had his shirt off.  Though really when do new doctors have the time to get so ripped?

Thursday night comedy rundown

Community, 8pm on NBC
This show was completely uninteresting to me when it began, but as I let the jokes wash over me it has grown into one of the funniest and most surprising shows on TV.  I could watch Troy and Abed for hours, and their scene where they got caught breaking into Rob Corddry's office was amazing.  One after another, I could not stop laughing when Annie chloroformed the bartender from Grey's Anatomy, Troy skipped over his body while in distress, they decided to pretend to have been chloroformed, Annie chloroformed him again, and then Troy stumbled over him while they ran away.  What a ridiculous and amazing scene.

30 Rock, 8:30pm on NBC
Taking a big step up in comedy from last week's season premiere, there were three majorly awesome running gags and a cameo by Paul Giamatti, so it was definitely an episode to remember.  While Liz's newfound attractiveness following from her being in a happy relationship led to great moments of Tina Fey acting the hyper-confident nerd in a KISS FM cowboy hat, I was a little surprised by how the character reacted to all the male attention.  Tracy on Cash Cab was the most perfect Slumdog Millionaire send-up, and followed from a great line: "He had two very good reasons for missing the births of his children: baking a french bread pizza, and forgot."  But Alec Baldwin's taped advice videos for his unborn son were the episode highlight, and I hope that more are released on the DVD.  "In school I was voted 'Most.'"

The Office, 9pm on NBC
The episode's cold open had me chuckling my face off for about ten minutes straight.  Any time Dwight's cousin Mose is on hand, it is usually awesome, and the supply closet daycare offered by the Schrute men was perfectly off-the-wall.  The ICP poster as decoration, with "Insane" and "Posse" crossed out was the best.  I didn't care for Pam's promotion stunt, but the Dwight Pretty Woman makeover was a fun diversion.  Scenes with Michael and Toby were excellent, and could have been played out more to add a little more weight to the relationship, and the upcoming departure of Michael Scott.  He's such an angry, sad man, and I'd like to see a little bit more of David Brent in him, even still.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 10pm on FX
Episodes where the gang does something completely stupid and unrelated to Paddy's tend to be my favorites, so them buying a decrepit houseboat with the intention of racing, shrimp fishing, and throwing P. Diddy -style parties, was perfect.  I loved the scenes of Dee dancing along with the inflatable green man, and Charlie going on about a "horse massacre from the revolution times" was pure Charlie.  Given the lingering disappointment about last week's rape joke on 30 Rock, it was particularly amazing for Dennis and Mac to repeatedly argue about implied consent on Always Sunny.  Mac is a terrible person, but even he recognizes that Dennis planning to force women to have sex with him because they're afraid of saying no is monstrous, and it was so satisfying to watch that conversation play out.

Jersey Shore, 10pm on MTV
This episode was lame and I'm glad Angelina's gone or whatever.

(Borrowed from a Videogum commenter)

Slut-shaming, guido style

No, I am not going to recap Jersey Shore.  There is nothing I can say about the activities of The Situation, Sammi Sweetheart, Ronnie Cokenose (allegedly), Vinny Bigdong (allegedly), Angelina Trashbags, DJ Pauly D(ong piercing), JWOWW, and Snooki, that will be remotely interesting or not found everywhere else on the internet.

We all know that 75% of these people are complete wastes of time (I have a soft spot for Jenny and Nicole), and I for one am glad that the spotlight is off of Sammi and Ron's brain fart of a relationship, even if it means that Angelina is back at the forefront.  She's disliked by everyone in the house, and everyone watching, but I really wanted to feel for her during last night's episode.

The blatant double-standard of how the men on this show can go out looking for women who are "DTF," whose names they don't care to remember, and whom they kick out of the house as soon as they are done with, while a woman who sleeps with a guy she knows once gets termed a "whore" and a "slut," makes me crazy.  I know that Angelina, like many of the castmembers, has exhibited seriously hypocritical and jerky behavior.  She's totally unlikeable, but I hated how vilified she was being for a fraction of the promiscuity exhibited by The Situation and DJ Prince Albert on the regular.

I know that people watch this show to see minstrel-like exhibitions of stupidity and drunkenness, but I have to wonder how many people in the audience will take this double-standard as something normal or positive.  I'd like to recommend the new Emma Stone movie Easy A as a great teen comedy that turns the slut-shaming culture on its ear, for anyone who needs a palate cleanser after last night's Jersey Shore (or the rape joke on 30 Rock).

Jersey Shore, 10pm Thursdays on MTV