The Office: Initiation

Usually whenever Dwight gets excessively weird, the show seems to suffer a little bit. I know that all offices have at least one off-kilter staffer (mine included), but with Dwight you have to suspend reality to the nth degree.

That being said, in this episode I got to see a little bit more of what lurks underneath Dwight's pompous exterior. He really seems to be a go-getter, but whatever he's going to try to get still is somewhat questionable.

His attempts at initiating Ryan into sales are certainly unique--I still don't get how Dwight is the number one salesperson in the Scranton branch. Either he's very good or the rest of the sales force have no pulse.

Ryan, to his credit, plays along because he figures he can get at least a kernel of information to use to bolster his career, but Dwight just can't conform. He just has to have this nutty initiation rite, and eventually Ryan has enough and calls Dwight a "freak"--a bold move on his part.

Meanwhile, it's Pretzel Day at the branch, and everyone rushes down to get one. Michael is under surveillance by Pam (under Jan's orders) to see how productive (yeah, right) he is during a typical workday. There's definitely tension between Michael and Jan.

As Dwight's initiation of Ryan continues, Kelly wonders what is going on with her boyfriend, and says that Dwight is a "freak" to Angela, who had defended him by his being "individualistic" and throws the "freak" term right back at Kelly. (How great an episode would it be if we are able to see Dwight and Angela out on a date or just spending time together!)

The Jim-Karen flirtation doesn't do anything for me. The squeaky chair stuff seemed rather forced. I don't think I have the patience to see if this thing will develop or not. I guess I'm so used to seeing the Jim-Pam dynamic that any other situation involving either one of them would pale in comparison. To top things off, Jim and Pam finally spoke on the phone, and although there were some awkward moments, you can just tell that something will happen between them--either a hookup or another rejection on someone's part.

I kind of missed Michael not being the focal point of the episode, but Dwight's interaction with Ryan kept things moving. I especially liked their "bonding" at the end when they were sitting at a bar doing Depth Charges (dropping a shot into a mug of beer and chugging it all down). It brought back some memories for me, as hazy as they might be.

Soup of the Week & The Closer: Saving Face

With broiled mozzarella cheese bread on top, this hearty soup is delicious. It's ready in no time and is excellent.

Onion Soup with Sausage

1/2 lb pork sausage links, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) beef broth
French Bread
Shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large saucepan, cook sausage; drain if needed. Add mushrooms and onion; cook for 4-6 minutes or until tender. Stir in the broth. Bring to a boil Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until heated through. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls. Top with a slice of bread; sprinkle with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted.

The Closer: Saving Face
Does anybody else really, really want cake? The scene near the end of this episode where the entire team was eating an angry bride's wedding cake made that cake look so good. Yeah, it was a good episode. But, what stuck with me was the cake.

I love when the writers pull out episodes like this one. Sure, there's a dead person and an investigation, but the entire episode still manages to be light-hearted. It all started with Lt. Provenza dropping a coffin down a flight of stairs, then proceeded to a fight between an angry bride and Brenda, and to the entire homicide team eating the bride's $30,000 catering (including that cake).

There were a lot of great scenes in this episode involving Brenda (the bride fight was pretty great), but my favorite was in the plastic surgeon's office where the surgeon made Brenda speechless. He tried to guess what she was in for and started saying very rude (but true!) things about how she slathers her red lipstick on, making her mouth look huge. So, she's suffering from self consciousness as she attempts to solve a murder. And it only gets worse when she looks to Det. Daniels for advice on new lipstick and Daniels takes her down another notch by bashing her wardrobe. Brenda's wardrobe, incidentally, is probably my favorite quirk of her very quirky character. The woman constantly pairs contrasting patterns and looks as if she shops the sales at JC Penney.

Lts. Flynn and Provenza got some good play in this episode as naughty little boys. It was like a playground dynamic between them and Brenda and Lt. Tau, who had to run and tell Brenda about the murder the minute the victim was discovered.There wasn't really much controversy to this episode and I didn't get a whole lot of overall plot advancement, but that's perfectly fine with me. I was entertained. I got a little of the Brenda/Fritz relationship where she's under pressure to go look at houses, but the Brenda/Sgt. Gabriel riff didn't come up this episode. Best to let that simmer, I say.

I was a little uncomfortable with the blackmail practiced by Johnson and Pope at the end of the episode. I guess the justice system is full of this type of blackmail-- if you do this, we won't charge you with that-- but it seemed a bit unethical.

A couple of great one-liners:

"Not a wet eye in the house." - Lt. Provenza to Lt. Flynn after his eulogy.
"Nothing tastes better than someone else's wedding cake. Mine tasted like prison food." - Lt. Provenza
"Oh, well. We're hateful people." - Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson
"Does this case have anything to do with the LAPD?" - Chief Pope"No." - Lt. Provenza"Then give me a big piece (of cake) from the corner." - Chief Pope

Carissa & Jim's Wedding Photos

Last Saturday, August 18, I was in Putnam County, Ohio, for my friend Jean's daughter Carissa's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a very fun reception.

Highlights of the day: Jean played the flute during the ceremony, Bacon Bob (the bride & groom's St. Bernard) came down the aisle with the rings, the bridal party took a hay ride from the church to the reception hall, and Carissa rode a small 4-wheeler hauling Jim around the dance floor. Plus lots of good food (pig roast), interesting music & dance moves (I think it's my age), and a wonderful time with my two best friends - Jean & Patricia.

In the photos: I'm in the red polka dot dress, Patricia is in the white top, Jean (mother of the bride) is the solid black dress, and Michelle is the black dress with colorful spots.

Olivia, my friend Patricia's 12-year-old daughter, took most of the photos using my camera. So I cannot take credit for some of the "embarrassing" photos. She did a great job. Blogspot just came out with a video upload so enjoy my photos.

MTTT: Bell's Brewery & Family Guy: Peter's Two Dads

The MTTT crew celebrated our 2nd Anniversary of the Thirsty Third Thursday after work drinking club at Bell's Brewery. MTTT all started in 2005 in August at Bell's Brewery and from that point forward we return each August.

Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo is a micro-brewery. They offer a wide selection of tasty beers and tend to promote seasonal recipes, as do a lot of micro-breweries. My personal favorite is Oberon . It's rich in color and flavour. Bell's Brewery also has a beautiful beer garden attached to the aesthetically pleasing pub. It is home to many of Kalamazoo's college-age hippie-types, which adds to the whole exuberance of the Bell's experience.

All the MTTT'ers ordered different Bell beers and all of them were highly recommended. Lindsey was the bravest and had the 10.5% alcohol content beer (Expedition Stout) and one glass was all she could take. I just made myself thirsty for a Bell's Oberon, so I'm glad I keep a six pack in my refrigerator.

Family Guy:

Despite a couple of underdeveloped plotlines and an overabundance of offensive and uncomfortable jokes, this episode of Family Guy somehow manages to succeed with just enough truly hilarious moments and actual story elements.Conducting a detailed a plot analysis of any Family Guy episode is somewhat pointless, but there actually seems to be an attempt by the writers to put together a storyline that has a slight amount of cohesion.

Meg's birthday party serves as the backdrop for Francis' death, and gives Chris an excuse to provide his only meaningful contribution to the episode with a brief musical solo. The other threads in this episode focus on Stewie and Peter.

I got to witness the final moments of Peter's father Francis's life, as he's crushed by his weighty son who was riding a unicycle drunk while dressed up as a clown during Meg's birthday party. The ongoing joke and plot thread that starts off the episode concerns how little respect Meg gets in the family. Meg bursts into the room talking about what she'd like for her upcoming birthday and nobody really seems to pay too much attention to what she was saying. Neither of the Griffin parents knows how old their daughter is, and they don't seem to care too much either.

The other story attempt in this episode centers around Stewie discovering that he enjoys the pain of getting spanked, and as such, tries to push his mother into hitting him. This particular plotline falls a bit flat. It's not all that funny and it felt like it was thrown in as filler. Other than the shock value of watching Stewie fantasize about his mother beating him, there was very little to salvage these somewhat disturbingly offensive moments. One joke that does stand out, however, is Stewie asking Lois to "step on his cubes."

Of course, the main storyline in this episode revolves around Peter's discovery about his father. Upon Francis' death, Peter finds out that his real father's a "fat stinking drunk" from Ireland, and embarks on a quest to find him, but not before a brief Peter-as -Wonder Woman reference.This plot thread works really well, and is filled with a classic barrage of absurd jokes and numerous flashback moments, including a great Return of the Jedi reference, as well as a short scene poking fun at Ben Affleck.

Peter's father makes a grand entrance as the "town drunk" in a tavern called "Wifey Mcbeaty's Tavern." After engaging in and winning a drinking contest with his real father, the two burst into song for yet another musical interlude. These musical moments seem to happen very often on the show lately. They don't always work well, but in this case the song and accompanying visuals were appropriately entertaining.

Peter's dad could be a great addition if the writers choose to continue including him in future episodes (along with his pet sheep cleverly named O'Brian). There seemed to be fewer flashbacks and pop-culture references in this episode, which helped move the main story forward.

While Family Guy has never been about telling decent tales, the cohesiveness of the Peter's real father storyline helped define a sense of purpose to accompany the off-the-wall arbitrary jokes. Wacky random humor when combined with a sense of direction goes a long way in making these episodes feel more complete and satisfying, and in this respect, "Peter's Two Dads" succeeds remarkably well.

Bones: The Girl in Suite 2103

Whew, I was scared there for a moment. When this episode began without seeing a horrendously mangled body in the first 30 seconds I thought that Bones was about to 'jump the shark'. I was especially fearful when Booth and Bones entered the murder scene (after a very interesting conversation about Booth's reaction to elevator music) to see intact bodies. Luckily they came across a charred skeleton near the end of the first scene, so my fear ebbed. Then, they found a second unrecognizable skeleton hanging from a light fixture, and I could breathe easily again. Especially since the second body was the focus of an entertaining episode.

I have to tell you, Emily Deschanel as Doctor Temperance Brennan, otherwise known as "Bones", really had a great episode. I don't remember her being so frank to so many people since the second season began. She was particularly brusque to State Department representative Alex Radzwill, who is a little person. She went off on Radzwill several times about his need to push around taller people because of his lack of height. Many of the lines she got out were very funny. Oh, also, she needed to get a translation from Booth about something Radzwill said. Good to see that the shoe sometimes fits on the other foot.

In general, everyone had a good performance this week. I am really enjoying the scenes at the Jeffersonian Institution sans Booth or Bones (who seems to be distancing herself from the rest of the team). I finally got to see a little bit more of Zach Addy. While he is respectful to his superiors, Zach does seem to have a bit of a devilish side underneath his scholarly frame. He loves to give digs to Booth when describing unusual findings on their victims. He also interacts really well with Jack Hodgins. When those two get together it's like teenage boys playing with a chemistry set.

Oh, and speaking about Jack, the sexual tension is growing between him and Angela. When those two are together in a scene you can just see it all around them. As I said last week, get these two kids together.

Let's talk a bit about this case: the murder of a waitress at a, I guess, hotel (wasn't quite sure where). I really had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. I love this stuff, because it allows the viewer to follow along with the evidence and the logic to see if they come up with the conclusion faster than their television counterparts. It's almost like the classic board game Clue, except with many more dead bodies. This mystery had plenty of twists and turns to keep moving my attention to another suspect.

One more thing to talk about this time around . . . Seely Booth, Real American Hero. Many leading men in crime dramas have plenty of gray edges to them. Not Booth, who is truly a white hat hero. He proved it when he disposed of fake evidence that could have been used to get the murderer to confess that she had killed the waitress. Even though he didn't respect the diplomatic immunity that the murderer hid under, he abided by the decision. Booth is really a good man.

Studio 60: What Kind of Day Has It Been

Storylines are wrapped up, arcs are given closure, outstanding issues are resolved and to some extent this final episode provides a kind of finality and completeness for the cancelled series. The events of this episode serve as a conclusion for the three part "K&R" episode. In fact, this is really just part 4, given a new name to better serve as a finale for not just the season but the series.

All of the crises set up over the last three episodes end well. Tom's brother is rescued by Special Forces, Jordan and her baby are just fine while after four hours of stonewalling, Simon decides to apologize to the press - but only after Jack says he doesn't have to. Of course Matt and Harriet get together, though Matt's new found drug addiction is left unresolved albeit with a sense that he'll be just fine. The conclusions come one after another, providing for a series of great emotional moments for all of the actors involved.

As I've said more than once, this is a show not short on talent in the acting department. Steven Weber runs off with the show again in a quietly riveting scene where Jack realizes and admits to himself that he should have stood up for Matt and Danny back in 2001. He - in what seems an almost accidental way - likens himself to the executives in the 50s who gave up the names that became the list of Communist sympathizers used by Joe McCarthy. He seems to realize in that moment that he values things even more than the Network, and he betrayed those values. Weber's Jack Rudolph proved to be the most complex and interesting character of the series, and that's saying something in a show that had some well written characters played by terrific actors.

I saw that Danny Tripp made a similar realization a few years earlier when he followed Matt out the door rather than apologize for a political sketch. "I found myself saying screw honor, patriotism and friendship. We could lose the franchise," he says to Harriet, horrified at what he was becoming. He knew Matt was right, and he knew there were more important things at stake than his job or Studio 60. Right there is perhaps where I found the malaise that affected the show for its run: that there are more important things than Studio 60. It always seemed clear that Aaron Sorkin thought a TV show would be an interesting setting, but he kept having more pressing issues on his mind and tried to shoehorn them into this show.

This is a decent finale for what has been an uneven series. This episode, like the rest of the show, is a class act with high production values, good and great performances and a strong sense of style. It's just hard to care too much about it all. When Danny turns off the light and walks away, there's not much emotion beyond a sense of "this should be more emotional than it is." The show closes with Matt looking at the clock counting down the time until the next episode of the show - which could have served as the setup for a second season. This might prove painful for some more adoring fans who wanted to see the show continue. I'm sad to say that I don't share their pain.

Rescue Me: Commitment

Jerry's story has been developed really quietly this season. He had more screen time in this episode that he did in the first two episodes combined I think. You get my point though. He's there and he's not. Now that I know how this episode ended, it makes sense to me. His lack of a presence in this season now feels like a creative choice by Denis Leary. Jerry was a ghost this season. I knew things weren't looking too bright for him. His job was in jeopardy, his wife has been completely lost to Alzheimer's, his gay son who he doesn't truly accept is getting married, and now we find out that he's completely adverse to the idea of retirement.

The name of the episode was "Commitment" and that's exactly what Jerry needed. People to care about, to do favors for, and to look out for. If he retired or took the H.Q. job, he doesn't have that commitment. He'd have no one and unfortunately for me Jerry knew that. That final sequence as Jerry made his last supper, played with his new golf clubs a little, and groomed himself... it was tough to watch. I'm sure I'm not alone, but once he started chopping vegetables for his salad, I knew it was coming. It ended with it a gun in his mouth, a black screen, and a single shot. I don't know the outcome since it went black, but I don't see this being some kind of a set-up. Jerry Reilly was a great character and he'll be missed.

Alright. In an attempt to be slightly cheery, I'l move on. Actually... it might just be easier to list things that made me laugh...

• Loved that fake ED treatment that Tommy was reading about in the magazine: Hugerophen. Great name!
• Tommy stealing Mike's face cream.
• Lou had some great ones. First he called Colleen's boyfriend Prick Jagger and then he compared Theresa's sex drive to a tsunami that destroys everything in its path. Hilarious.
• I shouldn't have laughed, but I did: Richie's girlfriend bowling. I'm a horrible person.
• Uncle Teddy wanting to go back to jail because he needs a schedule. He said he'd go on a killing spree!

That's what this show does though. It makes me laugh and cry. There are still plenty of stories that I'm looking forward to getting answers to though. How long before Tommy realizes Janet is going through post-partum? Is Colleen going to come home? What happens when Ellie finds Teddy? Will Tommy ever come to his senses and just sleep with Nona? Which house is Bart going to pick? And finally, will Jimmy make any more appearances? Actually... if this ended the way I think it ended, I might see Jerry again sooner than I thought. Tommy's ghost parade anyone?