My Name Is Earl: The Magic Hour & Monkey Take a Bath

The last time I saw Earl, his marriage had ended and he’d vowed to focus on his list, which was a good move for the show. This season opened with Joy behaving in typical fashion: making her kids wear Make-a-Wish t-shirts so she doesn’t have to wait in line. This takes Earl back to the time he got drunk and stole a pony that was, unfortunately, part of little Buddy’s wish. So Earl and Randy go to Buddy’s house, and discover that Buddy is very much alive. Buddy, played by Seth Green, has a new dream now: to make a movie about a giant squid that tries to destroy the world and kill the president. (It’s called To The Max, and I am not ashamed to admit I really want to see it.)

Buddy and Earl go around town to cast the movie. Randy is cast as the President, Joy is Max’s wife, and Catalina is a “ruthless terrorist.” Randy actually does a great job, and then Ethan Suplee gives us an excellent Buffalo Bill impression that was my favorite part of the show. Buddy makes Joy kiss him in the “magic hour” scene, and she reveals that she “only does tongue if it’s Brad Pitt or Eric Roberts,” and I learned that once again, Joy has hit a new low. After the movie’s climax, a shot of Max karate-chopping a giant squid, falls apart, everyone quits the movie. Earl throws a premiere party anyway, but Buddy, it turns out, has died of his illness. But he did get to follow his dreams, which leads others to do the same. Darnell paints himself and Joy into American Gothic, Joy steals clothes, Randy makes a door sign, and Earl takes up the xylophone again. All seems to be right in Camden County.

In the premiere’s second half, Earl and Randy have to buy back all their childhood belongings from their parents at a yard sale, including a hand puppet that makes Randy tell the truth. Joy finds an “IQ machine” and tries to con Earl’s dad into selling it to her. At the yard sale, the puppet makes Earl decide to cross #87 off his list: scared away his parents’ friends.

Earl and Randy had made Clark Clark cry repeatedly, and thought that this had made him move away. So they go to the Clark’s new house and Mr. Clark reveals that he’d moved because of an affair with Earl’s mom that had happened “because the A&P had a sale on wine coolers.” Earl and Randy make their mother tell their dad, who leaves screaming that his “wife is a whore!” Dad comes to stay with Earl, and they decide to go beat up Mr. Clark.

Despite Earl singing “Eye of the Tiger,” the plan fails, and they are beaten savagely by Mrs. Clark. Earl’s father then decides to get revenge he has to get laid, which makes Earl vomit. Back at the Crab Shack, Randy doesn’t fare much better when his mother tells him how unsatisfactory her sex life was, and Randy says my favorite line: “yeah, that guy sure is bad at touching moms.” A disgusted Randy tells Joy what his mother did, and Joy goes to fight her, but loses when Mrs. Hickey kicks her in the face.

Earl’s father has no luck picking up women at the pharmacy or the bank, but Patty from the diner agrees to sleep with him. Not because she likes him, but because she’s a “daytime hooker and a nighttime waitress.” Dejected, Earl’s dad cries. Earl reveals that “there are two things I never thought I’d see with my own eyes: a real bear carrying a picnic basket and my dad crying.” This brings back the pain of Joy’s infidelity, and the two men spend the night crying and talking. This changes things, and Earl’s father goes back home. Earl forgives Joy for cheating, and she returns the postman’s glass eye.

I thought it was a great premiere, and I’m glad to see the show back on form.

Bones: The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond

THE SEASON SO FAR:
Zack is gone, leaving a huge hole in the team. The premier was set in London with Booth and Bones cracking jokes and flirting with their British counterparts. While in America, Angela’s husband showed up to win back her hand but in the end granted her the divorce, slept with Cam, and broke her and Hodgins up. Each episode has featured a Zack replacement who points out how strange their work relationships are and promptly quits.

THIS EPIDOSE IN A NUTSHELL:
A dismembered body is found in twelve parts, with the head missing. The victim is Jared Addison an Obsessive Compulsive Science fiction writer, who lived with his mother. He was dating a women 28 years his senior, he recently overcame his disorder, had confrontations with his publisher, his coffee man, and his girlfriends son. As they investigate, Booth is having back pains and Bones gets to drive the car.

Meanwhile the latest Zack replacement worries that Bones wants him to be her boy toy and Hodgins is butting head with Cam over moving into Zack’s working space. We see him visit his best bud in the hospital and giving him the file in case he can find something they overlooked.

At the very end after Zack strolls out of the Mental Institution and pinpoints the mother as the murderer, he admits to Sweets that he did not stab anyone. I feel so much better about the whole thing. He refused to allow Sweets to tell his friends, because he feels that given the order he would have killed him. Kudos to the writers for revealing that Zack would never kill anyone but it was possible he could be persuaded to a certain way of thinking.

THE GOOD:
Zack!!! I was pissed when he was revealed to be Gormogon’s apprentice, but this episode soothed my aching heart. I loved how he switched the barcode strip on Sweets ID with the one on his library card. Absolutely awesome. How sad was it to see Hodgins visiting his best friend in a mental institution?

The scene with Zack, Cam, Angela, and Hodgins in the restaurant. It was bittersweet as they will probably never get to hang out like that again. It’s too bad Bones wasn’t there to complete the team.

Sweets on the Case. In this episode he actually had something to do, instead of tagging along and making remarks about Booth and Bones relationship. When he analyzed the victims room I burst into laughter, I don’t know what it is about that character but he just cracks me up.

THE BAD:
I really didn’t like the Bones/Booth subplot. The whole ‘you’re always defending me’ and ‘I’m a man, its what I do.” just fell flat. And I am really tired of Sweets sticking his puny little head into their conversations to say.. “This is an interesting development….”

THE UGLY:
I was so happy to see Zack but please. Zack escaped from the hospital and just walked into the Jeffersonian? I mean c’mon, he helped them out, went to dinner, and then strolled back into the Institution..... A little too easy.

QUOTES:
Sweets: "What if he overpowers me?"
Bones: "Zack? I think you can take him."
Zack: "I’m stronger than I look."

Zack to Sweets: “Hodgins assured me I would not do well in prison."

A Wonderful Playlist of "What a Wonderful World"

The news of Forest Whitaker's Louis Armstrong biopic immediately made me think of the last time I heard the song that will be the movie's title: "What a Wonderful World." My ears pricked up when I heard the song as covered by Joey Ramone in the recent Simon Pegg comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. I wasn't thrilled with the movie as a whole, but I like a lot of the music in it — especially this track.

Nobody can do "What a Wonderful World" quite like Louie did, but that hasn't stopped a bajillion musicians from trying. Just doing a quick search on imeem brings up many varied covers, from Ghoul's death metal version (which doesn't sound like a wonderful world at all), to Eddy Arnold's lovely version that is currently being used in a teaser trailer for Oliver Stone's movie, W.

I sifted through the extensive list and picked out my favorite versions of the song and still, no matter how many times I hear it (which is many now), it brings a dippy smile to my face. It's so warm and life-affirming, no wonder everyone wants to cover it. Want to hear "What a Wonderful World" this is, with covers ranging from rock, jazz, bossa nova and more? To check out the playlist, click below.

Fringe: The Ghost Network

"I'm making my own medication in the lab." -- Walter Bishop

I've passed through the third episode of Fringe, and I'm still grooving on the show. What I love best about it isn't the X-Files-type storylines, it's pretty much all been done before. But I love the characters, especially the talented John Noble.

I'm betting Noble will find a way with his scattered, brilliant character of Walter Bishop. He can knock your socks off with just one look or movement, and he has plenty to work with in the character of Walter -- whether he's making his own medication in the lab or trying to navigate a cell phone. He remembers where all his crap from 17 years ago is stashed, but can't remember that they put the family dog down two decades ago.

Not exactly the kind of guy you want doing brain surgery on you, but that's just what tonight's subject has to endure. Well, that is, after Walter sends Olivia and Peter on a mission to find a device he made in 1983. It's buried in the wall of their old house in Cambridge, so of course, the pair break in there and retrieve the device, which looks like something out of a Mystery Science Theater movie.

It's all centered around some research that Walter did years ago on the "Ghost Network," a sort of inter-cranial way to listen in on other peoples' conversations that puts the Patriot Act to shame.

Peter and Olivia are growing on me, too. Olivia seems like she could be your next-door neighbor. Well, an intense, Type-A neighbor who gets up and jogs at 5 a.m. I appreciate the interactions between the characters, as well as Peter and Walter's surprising talent as pianists. Peter's version of "Someone to Watch Over Me," as agent Broyles meets with Nina Sharp, was spot on.

And what's up with that meeting anyway? Either Homeland Security is working with Massive Dynamic, or perhaps Broyles is actually a double agent of sorts.

Eureka: From Fear to Eternity

Another episode, another pregnancy. In a move that shocks probably nobody, Allison Blake is pregnant. Okay, so that wasn't the main point of the episode. The main point was Zoey started to age rapidly due to the radiological exposure she suffered in a previous episode. Carter had a couple staredowns with Eva Thorn but not who turned out not to be so evil after all. She helped Carter save Zoey and Zane save the town (and his relationship with Deputy Lupo). Oh, and they had this really cool nano-foam. And did I mention Carter got fired?

If all of that makes very little sense, forgive me. It was, in fact, not a bad episode, but the events did run together a bit. I actually found it enjoyable, and it was nice to see the Thorne story get resolved. But the resolution underscored a major problem with this series this season: as a villain, Eva Thorne was just not terribly interesting.

That is not to take away from the fine acting of Frances Fisher, who was excellent in the role all season (or half season, if this is the mid-season finale). It’s just that while the role allowed Thorne to be mysterious, I don’t think anyone ever believed that she was truly evil. In fact, it turns out that Thorne herself was a victim back in 1939, when she was exposed to the same radiation that accelerated Zoey’s aging. It just happened to have the opposite effect on Thorne. No real reason was given—just a one in a million exception. Guess the writers couldn’t think themselves out of that scientific puzzle.

Overall, I’d call this episode a success, but I can’t help but wonder where Eureka goes from here. While I like Zane as a sidekick for Carter, I can’t help but miss the tension and the petty jealousy that Stark brought to the show. While they’ve replaced Stark’s roles in the show, they’ve not been able to replace his presence or the dynamics he brought to the relationships.

That’s not to say I want Stark to return. In fact, a major part of the problem I had with Eureka so far has been the utter predictability of every episode and event. I’d rather see the writer’s adapt to the changing landscape of the show, develop a couple of new and interesting villains, while continuing to create scientific puzzles worth pondering.

What Worked
The acting of Frances Fisher. Now that the Thorne character has reached the end of her arc (for now), I now appreciate the subtle glimpses of good that was hidden under the cutthroat corporate veneer throughout the season. Nice work, Ms. Fisher.

What Didn’t Work
The bickering between Jo and Zane was inane, pointless, and irritating. I am certainly not out of touch with the dynamics of dating relationships today, but the whole issue just didn’t make any sense to me at all.

Worst Week: The Pilot

On a whim I recorded "Worst Week", a new sitcom about a guy who gets into ridiculous situations and in trying to get out of them makes it even worse. The premise could be very mundane, but the execution is phenomenol. This is the under the radar show this season. You must watch it.

The entire show was not only sort of funny, but unrelentingly hilarious. No laugh track, no cheesy set ups, just pure unadulterated gag after gag. A lot needs to be said for the cast, most of whom play straight man to the show's main character Sam, a guy with the absolute worst luck on the planet.

All of the events, as preposterous as they may be, play realistically which is part of the charm and guffaw inducing nature of the show. I somehow wish poor Sam wouldnt be so nice and get himself in these terrible situations but then there would be nothing to laugh at.

The one concern I might have is the ability of the writers to keep up the pace of the gags. As I consider what happened in the pilot, there is a lot going on there and I would be amazed if they were able to keep that sense of momentum going.

As odd as it may sound this show is the closest thing I have seen to the pacing of 24 since that show began. Things just keep happening and happening, adding to this is the fact that the first episode ends so abruptly with another "oh no, NO WAY!" moment and it would seem to indicate that the show is called "Worst Week" because the entire season takes place in one week.

I know I review a lot of stuff on here, and that I sometimes have unique taste, but I am begging you to check out this show. It is worth your time and your laughs. So give it a shot.

Prison Break: Safe and Sound

On this episode of Prision Break, a third Scylla card was targeted, Michael continued to hide a secret from Sara, and T-Bag's cover began to unravel.

First off, a moment of silence for the news that William Fichtner has landed the lead in a brand-new TNT pilot. Great news for Bill, but a seeming omen for the Break. Sure, "technically" Night and Day is second position to Prison Break – meaning, if Mahone and the show stay alive, Fichtner has to take a knee on the new series – but that rarely happens.

Speaking of Mahone, I liked how the show opened with Alex and his wife reuniting, and her urging him to find and slay the "monster." She wants normalcy as much as he does, and knows the things he must do to get there. What a cool couple they are.

How "fitting" that T-Bag's fortunes changed some more thanks to a tea bag. So, the already random bird book has even-more-secret messages that can be revealed by water. OK…. Sucre and Bellick went looking for Teodoro, but busty receptionist kept him hidden — for now, and in exchange for three percent of, well, nothing. Now, though, she's having second thoughts about perhaps giving Brad a ring.

Phone numbers that could or could not be called was a theme this week, as the motel clerk nearly ratted out Mahone, but how awesome was it that Alex stayed a step ahead and instead emerged as the one with a bead on Cress Williams' killer. (Name, please?)

This week's card theft was "fine," though I think I have seen the Faux Maintenance Guys Shtick played once too often elsewhere. That secretary was remarkably patient with the guys' noisy, noisy wet-vac. And I was curious how the interior of the safe would look once the guys opened it from the other side. Did I not see any indication of a sawed-and-plugged hole?

So here it is, three cards down, three to go. But the bad news for the boys is that the General is onto them, and Self is about to get intense face time with… Cress Williams' killer. Meanwhile, Gretchen – plucky, plucky Gretchen – has overpowered her captor and looks very, very mad. Watch out for her… Cress Williams' killer!

The whole Laos thing that Sara was Googling on her PDA, while Rolland kept a wary eye on her? Zzzz. Not sure what that taught me?

What is the deal with Michael's nose bleeds?