ABC

I know I should say this every week, but SPOILERS ahead. Normally we try to be good, but with Mad Men’s finale, and more endings to come soon, it seems especially pertinent.

This week the series premiere of V evokes two different responses from the crew. And let me tell you, as the editor, I love it. Like I’ve said from the beginning, TV is a conversation. It’s something we share together, be it joy over certain plot developments or disagreeing on the impact of a pilot’s premiere.

Watching TV is something I find few people do in a vacuum, in whatever way their fandom takes. So enjoy the back-and-forth on V, don’t spoil yourself for other shows, and tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Scott

Parks and Recreation
From the very beginning, the best part of Parks and Recreation has been Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson, the parks department supervisor who lives as a mild-mannered anarchoconservative by day and a sunglasses-wearing jazzbo named Duke Silver by night. Even as the series has gotten exponentially better this season, Offerman still is the show’s highlight, and we finally got a Ron-centric episode this week with the added bonus of introducing Offerman’s real-life wife, Megan Mullally, as Ron’s sadistic librarian ex-wife. For a while in the early 2000’s, Will and Grace in general and Mullally in particular seemed to personify everything that was wrong with TV, so it’s somewhat shocking that she was so unbelievably hilarious here as the do-gooding Leslie Knope’s shadow self, a diabolical schemer whose Cleopatra vs. Eleanor Roosevelt speech enraged Leslie in a way we haven’t seen before. On a sad note, though, I think Ron’s sexualization of breakfast food might have ruined my love of fried eggs and bacon.

V
Earlier this year, I thought FlashForward looked like trash, was convinced to watch the pilot by scores of positive reviews, and was vindicated in my early assessment of trashiness. This week, I thought V looked like trash, watched the pilot despite the scores of negative reviews, and ended up really liking it. Sure, there are places for improvement (the dialogue is pretty tin-eared), but the solid concept of the show paired with a crackerjack cast (A purposeful Elizabeth Mitchell! A lovable smarmy Scott Wolf! A hot and evil Morena Baccarin!) makes it the first sci-fi network series with a chance to succeed since… dare I say it? Oh, I dare: LOST! And I might be the most gullible non-lizard lifeform on Earth, but I was genuinely surprised by the two big V reveals in the show’s climax. I’m in for the season, and I have unusually high hopes.

Robert

V
ABC’s remake of V intrigued me from the start, not just as someone who grew up when it seemed like the whole world was entranced by the ’80s television event, but as someone who’s also been a student of the remake phenomenon of late. Good remakes can elevate a property to high acclaim (Battlestar Galactica) but can also fall flat and send fans running back to the familiar comfort of the original (Knight Rider). Even though ABC spent plenty of time and money on it, early word suggested that V was clearly heading for a dead end–before it had even aired a single episode. It’s a good thing that V premiered last week with ratings far above expectations because this new V is shaping up to be a whole new beast with the interesting “resistance as terrorists” thread. My only complaint is that the pilot felt rushed, forcing so much to happen too quickly. You’d think a visit from an entire race of aliens would be more, I don’t know, complicated. Instead, the show glosses over a couple of weeks in the span of 40 minutes and never really settles down until the inevitable reveal happened in the final minutes. I understand the need to open big and get the ball rolling quickly, but let’s hope V finds a decent pace to let the story unfold gracefully.

Stargate Universe
Speaking of V, thanks to the recent online volleys between Stargate Universe executive producer Brad Wright and Chicago Tribune columnist Maureen Ryan, SGU shot back up to the top of my must-watch list. The aforementioned back-and-forth involved a ho-hum review of the show and while I can’t claim it’s the best show ever, over the course of seven episodes, SGU has surprisingly done one thing exceptionally well. It has made me understand and truly appreciate the concept of the anti-hero. With the exception of Eli (David Blue), just about every character on the show is unlikeable. Almost all of them have the best intentions in mind and yet none of them are expert enough to maneuver their way through a conversation or make a decision without rubbing someone the wrong way. It’s a trope we’ve seen before–do what has to be done to survive–but I don’t think I’ve seen so many instances where you’d like to see a group of characters find salvation just so they can be done with each other. And yet, through it all, you’re on their side because, dammit, there are lives at stake. Shows like BSG played the same angle to the hilt, and with the intriguing conclusion to last week’s episode, SGU may plunge into even darker territory. And I’ll still be watching.

Ellen

America’s Next Top Model
Tyra Banks announced last spring that this season of her workhorse reality series would change its audition rules for one season only to allow girls under 5’7″ to compete. The first result of this change was a riot at the New York City auditions, but longtime fans might find themselves liable to snooze rather than fight. Since I’m too old to feel shame for watching Top Model, I’m also definitely too old to try out (plus I can’t smize), but I am under 5’7″ — and until this season of ANTM I never knew how disadvantaged that made me. On her talk show, Tyra regularly froths her audience into histrionics over the plight of the overweight, the homeless, the freakishly afflicted — she’s like a B-movie Oprah. This tone has leaked into Top Model before, notably in Cycle 10 when the “plus-size” Whitney was boosted (some say by producers) to victory, but it’s the extent to which Tyra has decided that she is “saving” these poor, height-deficient girls by elevating them to a level of dubious fame that has made a mockery of this cycle. Bring on the tall bitches again, say I!

The Office
Michael Scott finally said a true thing, and now no one will forgive him for it. This week’s Office episode “Double Date” wrapped up (I think) the funnier-three-weeks-ago subplot of Michael’s romantic entanglement with Pam’s mom, and awkwardness was in the offing from the first few moments when Pam unsuccessfully fakes a sales call to try and get out of having a double date over lunch with her boss and her mother. Pam and Helene’s subsequent sniping was a little obvious for a mother and daughter, who doubtless have many other things to call each other out for. But reading Michael’s sudden disdain for Helene when he finds out her true age as the expression of an ageist is too simplistic. Here is a man who is wide open to possibility, however goofy or ill advised. Why wouldn’t he want to be with someone who felt the same way? (This is why Jan, despite her loopy candle business and her assistant-slash-bit-on-the-side, was actually perfect for him. Come back, Melora Hardin.) Michael has turned a corner to finally — if clumsily — say what he wants. He should have taken lessons from Dwight, who is exerting more and more effort not to be so blatant in his pursuit of Jim’s job, and failing.

Zoe

Wizards of Waverly Place
Oh how frustrating to watch a decent children’s show–no matter how good it gets it will often still resort to irritating levels to get the plot points it needs. Case in point, this episode, which ends on a wonderfully sad note, rare for the chirpy world of Disney. However, to get to that sad point, the show has to make several plot jumps so stupid the effort to explain them would be greater than the effort it took to write them. I’m used to agonizingly dumb jokes and go-arounds and take them in stride, but when it’s something that actually causes character development, it’s unbearable. At least it being a kid’s show means it’s unlikely to ever be mentioned again.

How I Met Your Mother
Can I just say that this season has really benefitted from letting Ted become a supporting character in his own story? He’s much more likable that way.

Mad Men
There’s a lot to talk about with the finale, perhaps most shockingly that there’s something to talk about at all. Mad Men usually shoves all the action in the penultimate episode, so the sheer amount of plot in this episode is a huge change. Firstly, I can’t believe Betty is going to marry Henry Francis. It just seems like such a mistake, given how long they’ve spent together, and I have no doubt that it will come back to hurt her. Not only is he basically a stranger, but he also undoubtedly makes less money than Don. I don’t believe Betty is totally shallow, but she is used to things being a certain way and may not appreciate the change. Secondly, I loved the scene with Don at Peggy’s apartment. It worked so well as Don saying what he realized he should have said to Betty long, long ago, and to his work wife (so to speak). Perfect. Lastly, I really hope that next season doesn’t cut out the Draper children altogether (or jump ahead so many years the actors have to change). Sally Draper is one of my favorite characters and I desperately want to see how the divorce impacts her, especially given her reaction thus far. And, man, it’s so rare is it to see the Draper children hugged and it’s usually Don doing it. It would be a disaster for him to try and raise the kids on his own, but would Betty really be better?

Overall, though, wow. Summer is too far away.