Community
Community had a lot to take care of in the season premiere - figure out what to do Pierce's fractured relationship with the group, find a reason to keep Chang around, introduce a new teacher (OMAR from The Wire!), and introduce a new foil for the Dean (John Goodman is a welcome addition). It managed to do all of these things, but it made for a very cluttered episode. It was funny, but not as funny as Community usually is. I am hoping that now that all of the set-up is out of the way, moving forward they can get back to the comedy heights of which the show is capable.
There were some pretty funny moments. Everything involving Abed and Cougar Town and Cougarton Abbey was well done (I especially loved his shrieking). Plus, its always funny when Troy tells Britta how awful she is ("You are the opposite of Batman!"). The opening shot at Glee was was nice (screw that show). The "2001: A Space Odyssey" homage had me cracking up too.
Grade: B - not a bad start to the season, but my least favorite of the shows last night.
Parks & Rec
Parks & Rec picked up right where they left off last season, quality-wise. There was a lot to love in this episode. Ron's hidden emergency supplies and flight to his cabin ("I keep a large amount of ground chick in my desk) were outstanding, as was pretty much the entire interaction between him and Leslie once she found him at the cabin (Ron's "Unabomber" beard from just a few days away was pretty epic). The escalation of the Ann/penis pictures story was well done (with a nice payoff at the end with Jerry's examination). It was also good to see that Tom and Jean Ralphio's company is wasting massive amounts of money without actually doing anything (that bikini top with their faces on each cup was top notch). I am really looking forward to Leslie's run for City Council (with Andy as her assistant, too!).
A+ - Fantastic start to the season and best show of the night. Next week - TAMMY 1!
The Office
With no Michael Scott (and the writing staff's failed attempts to make the show funny without him at the end of the last season other than the episode where Dwight was boss), I was very apprehensive about this new season. Luckily, last night's premiere was much funnier than I thought it was going to be. James Spader was really well used (they toned down his character's creepiness from the season finale, but his arrogance was still there). While I thought the planking stuff was pretty dumb, the way Dwight dealt with it had me in stitches. I don't know if they can keep this up all season. The quality the last 2 seasons has been spotty, James Spader won't be there every week (I think he is only signed for like 10 or 12 episodes), and I am not sure if having Andy as the boss will eventually wear thin. However, I am more optimistic about the show than I was at the end of last season, so that is something at least.
Grade: B+ - Lets see if they can keep it up
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Sunny follows up last weeks hilarious premiere with an even funnier episode. This was a strong episode for all the characters. Dennis and Dee's story about the crazed, drugged up criminals was the least funny, and it still made me laugh quite a bit (the scene where they made fun of the Jersey girl in the ER right in front of her face was great). I also loved the call back to the fact that Charlie had never been out of Philly. His crazed enjoyment at the crappy beach ( and his slight disbelief that he couldn't swim to Europe) was fun to watch. The topper, though, was Mac and Frank and their adventure with the rum ham. The way Sunny comes up with new ways for the gang to get drunk in public (see also Dennis and Dee hiding tequila in suntan lotion bottles) always amuses me. Not very many shows can still be this consistently funny in their 7th season, yet Sunny manages to keep bringing the funny stuff.
Grade: A. RUM HAM!
(No videos for this or Archer as FX doesn't allow their clips to be imbedded. Assholes...)
Archer
The only bad thing I can say about Archer so far this season is that it really sucks that there are only 3 of them. Such a tease, as this storyline about Archer and the pirates has been extremely funny. Archer as a character is always at his best when he thinks he is in control of a situation while he really isn't. The montage of the activities that he thought should be keeping the pirates in high spirits, but in actuality all revolved around Archer being a dick, were great. I loved the call back to those scenes later in the episode when Archer nonchalantly picked up the net and used his lacrosse skills to send the grenades back to the pirates. Both David Cross and Patrick Warburton have been great additions to the cast and I wish they would stick around when the season picks up again next year. Now that Lana and Archer are in the same place, I expect the finale to be top notch as their banter in the midst of high action always delivers.
Grade - A. Only one episode left...
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