TV Reviews

Wilfred – Isolation

Wilfred went two-for-two with
its double feature, putting up a second episode that was nearly as
entertaining as its predecessor. “Isolation” saw Wilfred at his
most sadistic, but also produced one of the titular character’s
funniest performances. Some convincing physical humor and uproarious
lines of dialogue helped turn Wilfred’s demented acts into hilarious
moments; they were still pretty demented though.

After three days spent holed up in his
house smoking copious amounts of ganja, Ryan seemed ready to go for
another three, but that probably wouldn’t make for a very interesting
episode. So it wasn’t long before Wilfy came calling to check in on
his protege. Well, technically it was Jenna who first arrived to
invite Ryan to a neighborhood meeting, but as always she was only
there to provide a storyline and something nice to look at. It was
the crazed canine who scored laughs early on with the best running
joke in the series. Wilfred’s peculiar relationship with Bear has
not only stayed fresh, but actually become more charming in its
absurdity. The idea of Ryan’s imaginary friend having his own
imaginary friend just makes sense, as long as you don’t think about
it too hard. Wilfred absolutely killed it when he reamed out Bear
for screwing up his attempt to break into Ryan’s house, particularly
for not buying Bear’s story about a twisted ankle. Even when a scene
between them is particularly graphic -like Wilfred faking an orgasm a
few episodes back- they still manage to be lighthearted, with Wilfred
often resembling the frustrated husband in an old married couple. Or
in this case; the less inept partner in a pair of bumbling criminals.

Wilfred – Compassion

This
week Wilfred fans were
treated to two installments of the offbeat comedy, as FX continued to
double down on episodes to make room for their fall lineup. Airing
first, “Compassion” proved that there is still a little gas left
in Wilfred’s tank.
Which couldn’t have come at a better time after last week’s episode
seemed to be running on fumes. One of their most well utilized guest
stars to date -make that two actually, plus a great cameo- also
built confidence that the series wasn’t done yet.

If
Ryan’s mother hadn’t spent the last twenty years in a mental
institution she would have probably warned him that it’s not a good
idea to let someone that was in a mental institution for twenty years
move in with you. But having never received that lesson growing up,
Ryan finds himself burdened with a less-than-stable roommate; to go
along with the deranged dog he already has. Ryan’s relationship with
his mother, Catherine, was strained long before she moved in with
him(Did I mention she spent two decades in a funny farm?). As is
revealed though, it’s less from anger at having to put up with
Catherine’s antics, and more from the fear for his own sanity that
her presence brings up that has Ryan on edge. A fear that turns out
be completely justified.

True Blood – Spellbound

After doing quite a bit to redeem itself last week following several sub-standard episodes, True Blood still
had a ways to go this week with “Spellbound.” After finally getting to
the point and letting us know exactly what has been going on for weeks
past, it had to not only keep up the tempo of the back half of the
season, but continue to add drama to an otherwise drama-less and
all-around messy season. What ultimately came to the screen with
“Spellbound” did its best to meet those criteria, perhaps helped by the
fact that Alan Ball decided to pick up the pen and put out a script that
wasn’t incomprehensible garbage like much that had come before it, but
there were still problems. Pacing for once wasn’t one of them, but
instead those timing issues were replaced by substance problems.

Entourage – Whiz Kid

After three weeks of fairly top of the line material from Entourage,
it was inevitable that the show would eventually live up to the
expectations that it has formed throughout its run and deliver an
episode in which not very much of anything happened. In saying that,
however, just because there wasn’t very much plot progression does not
mean that “Whiz Kid” wasn’t a good episode, or at the very least, far
more than tolerable to watch.

If
you were coming at it as a first time viewer I wouldn’t blame you for
asking “what the hell is this show about?” But if you’re familiar with
the show or more specifically the current season, the episode worked
just fine for its 20 minutes on air (comfortably the shortest episode of
the season thus far). On a side note, the episode marked the first
writing effort for actor Jerry Ferrara who plays Turtle on the show (in a
co-write with series creator Doug Ellin), and even though I mentioned
that the episode didn’t necessarily meet the standards of the season
thus far, it kept in very well with the tone of the show and felt just
as much an episode of Entourage as any other; it was a commendable effort indeed.

Breaking Bad – Shotgun

Breaking Bad followed up last
week’s excellence with an episode that didn’t quite match it in terms
of entertaining the viewer. With a greater emphasis than usual on
visual style the episode did provide some stunning shots, but it was
also brought down slightly by a storyline that moved along at a
snail’s pace. That being said, the episode was not without some big
developments to the plot and characters.

Walt’s anxiety over Jesse’s safety has
obviously built to a frantic level in the space between now and when
we last saw him in Jesse’s house. The well executed shots from the
point-of-view of Walt’s front bumper immediately throw us into the
chaos of his madcap race to Los Pollos Hermanos. Adding to the
excitement was Walt yelling at Saul to ensure Skyler gets all of his
money if something happens to him, all while weaving in and out of
traffic with varying degrees of success. However, the more important
call would be the message he leaves Skyler, which would have a
considerable impact on their relationship. That would come later
though, as Walt does somehow manage to avoid arrest or collision on
his way to confront Gus. “The Chicken Man” always seems a step
ahead though; leaving Walt to stare at security cameras that mock him
every bit as much as the one in the lab. Cranston’s performance as
an unhinged Walter White in these opening minutes make it easy to see
why he nabbed that best actor Emmy three years running.

Haven – Roots

After “Fear & Loathing” three weeks ago, “Roots” was another episode showing Haven
at its best. Like in the former, feelings of resentment and hatred were
at the heart of the events, and the visuals were of the type that would
impress the viewer’s mind. However, instead of a single person
vendetta, we had a skillfully conveyed feud between two families to draw
from, which turned out to be even more compelling. To make things more
interesting, the writers also decided to spice things up in the lead
characters’ lives.

Haven
is not meant to be a procedural, and investigations are not meant to be
the show’s strong suit. All that is required from Audrey is to gently
lead the viewers to the person and the reasons behind whatever trouble
is afoot, and that is what she did here. It was nice for the show to
contrast her approach with Chris Brody’s who just wanted to deal with
the manifestations or symptoms and not the source (Audrey: “In Haven
[the town] it’s always someone!”).

Louie – Eddie

The second episode in the double
feature of Louie had slightly less laughs than “Come On,
God” but it was every bit as good. The plot of “Eddie”
centered on Louie reuniting with another comic that he hadn’t seen in
twenty years. Their misadventures in Brooklyn led to some uproarious
comedic moments; before things took on a more somber tone when Eddie
reveals his real purpose for visiting in one of the series’ most well
written scenes to date.

One thing should be made clear right
away, Louie’s old pal, Eddie, is a jerk. From his first moment on
screen to his last he was abrasive and condescending; which is not to
say he wasn’t funny, at times at least. Played by comic, Doug
Stanhope, the character’s personality wasn’t far from the actor’s, or
at least his onstage persona. He was obnoxious to everyone he meets,
as soon as he meets them, if not outright belligerent. Eddie hasn’t
said two words before he is getting into a fracas with comic Greg
Rogell. (Who got a great laugh for his brief bit of standup on Tiger
Woods’ sex addiction.) Eddie lays into Rogell and any non-rode
comic, for not having the resolve to live in their car and have
debilitating drug addictions – like “real” comics. Though
Louie and Eddie both started out together, it is clear the two now
have very different views on what it means to be a comedian.

Wilfred – Anger

This episode of Wilfred should
have been one of the best, but unfortunately it ended up being
another half hour of hit-or-miss comedy. For an episode featuring
the funniest recurring character, “Anger” didn’t provide nearly
as many laughs as would be expected. In addition to just not being
that funny, the episode highlighted two problems with Ryan and
Wilfred’s relationship that have been plaguing the show since it
started.

With Ryan helping Kristen organize a
party for her boss, and Wilfred spitting out one great line after
another, all signs were pointing to “Anger” being a hilarious
episode. As it turned out though, it would only produce sporadic
bits of hilarity with a lot of deadwood filling the gaps. The early
moments were some of the funniest, thanks mainly to Wilfred, and the
brilliant performance of Jason Gann. As I’ve said before, the man’s
commitment to the role is unparalleled, and it shows through in
almost all of his scenes. Most notable this week was his disbelief
at the idea of anyone not liking him, “No one hates me. I’m
Wilfred, I’m adorable.”
Framing his face with his ears, and the coy looks he shoots Ryan were
even more uproarious than his lines of dialogue. Unfortunately,
outside of a few lines, these early scenes would end up being the
funniest moments in the episode.

Louie – Come On, God

This week we were treated to a double
dose of Louie with two back-to-back episodes. The duo started
with “Come On, God” an episode that explored a subject close to
Louie’s heart: masturbation. C.K.’s unrelenting self-deprecation
reached new levels in this episode, and made for a hilarious
installment. A very memorable performance from a relatively unknown
actress also helped make it one of the series’ funniest episodes to
date.

“Come On, God” started with a scene
that felt like another of Louie’s surreal fantasies. I kept waiting
for the protagonist to snap out of his dream in which he was finding
himself publicly defending masturbation on a nationally televised
news segment. Such was not the case, and Louie really had agreed to
come on television and speak out in the name of self-love. Even real
life news anchor, Greg Gutfeld, was surprised anyone would be willing
to come on his show and debate the morality of masturbation. Don’t
get me wrong, if there is one man for the job, it’s Louie C.K.
Voicing the views of the other side was a woman who had started an
organization dedicated to staying way more chaste than anyone needs
to be. The scene was a laugh riot from start to finish, thanks
greatly to the outlandish views of Louie’s opponent.

Falling Skies – Mutiny/Eight Hours

Falling Skies’
two-parter finale was remarkable in many ways. It delivered very good
moments of television and a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, like
always with the series, the devil was in the details. The story proved
unable to shake off the demons that plagued the entire season. And,
although there was no shortage of bright ideas, their execution often
left a lot to be desired.

The
series has been consistently good when it comes to conveying a sense of
urgency or characters’ feelings in spite of actors’ or actresses’
performances. Here again, whether we were watching Dai’s return from
Colonel Porter’s headquarters, or the 2nd Mass volunteers leaving for
the assault, we had the right mix of compelling visuals and orchestral
music. My issues in these two final episodes have been with the steps
leading to such moments.