tominboston

I've been rooting for Adam & Bethany all season because of her amazing adaptation to her physical situation and the great attitude they've consistently showed to the locals and each other. But I was fine with Amy & Maya pulling out a win because of Maya's genuine enthusiam, plus the fact that the team kept plugging along in spite of never being dominent, at least until that brutal final task in the container yard. Either the needle-in-haystack challenge of finding the right containers among hundreds in a huge lot or a where-were-we-when memory task would have been tough in itself, but combining them... wow. I can see why it took hours. Congratulations to the scientists, and I'm glad the surfers made second place at least. TAR: The Dating Game Season sounds like a potential train wreck to me too. Why can't we just go back to non-stunt-casted normal, nice people who preferably a big fans of the show?

I vote yes on this one. OK, the premise was a little shakey with all the delayed flights and last-minute boardings, and the fact that Nick would have been on his fifth free drink in first class by the time Jess called. But hey, it was a Christmas episode and everyone was supposed to live happily ever after, and they did (for this week anyway), so I liked it. A great moment that was poignant rather than funny was Schmidt's mixed reaction when CeCe said how much she enjoyed being his friend, but leaving unsaid that she's not his lover. Max Greenfield can be a really fine actor.

Same here. She's smart, cute, seems to have her head together, and seems to like Nick in spite of all his baggage and disarray. I hope she sticks around for a few more episodes. Loved the return of Nadia too. Baby cage! And a callback to Schmidt's broken organ. I wonder if the actress ever eats solid food. The big fight scene was sort of over the top, but Nick's and Winston's scenes in this episode more than made up for it.

The actor who plays Tran (Ralph Ahn) just does SO much to create a memorable character without saying a word. I love him and his role as Nick's mute therapist. I thought the episode in general was pretty good. It started out with Schmidt trying to arrange casual hookups, but in the end he was more interested in spending time with Cece (and she with him), and poor Jess and Ryan finally got together. Winston was initially kind of an ass towards the lunch lady and Coach was intimidated by the cop, but both got past it and everyone lived happily ever after, even Nick meeting up with Tran's lovely granddaughter. So no complaints from me about the plot.

I was thinking the same thing last night and I concluded that straddling or crawling must have been specifically forbidden. Otherwise, since there was no time limit on how long you could take to get to the flags, I'm sure everyone would have figured out that it was a lot easier to get down and hang on with two or four limbs [or, I guess, three :-) ] than to run. I am anticipating not liking next week's episode. I have always hated the U-Turn since I don't think teams should be allowed to sabotage others rather than outracing them, even if it is in the rules, and I like the cyclists and want to see them in the Final 3.

Plus, it has been made clear from the start that he's a good cop. That's important. In fact all of the detectives are good cops except for Scully and Hitchcock, but those two are strictly background weirdos who hang out at the precinct. This goes back a generation-plus, but I remember reading a review when B99 debuted that compared the Peralta-Holt relationship to that of Hawkeye Pierce and Colonel Potter on MASH, both involving an old school, by-the-book commander putting up with and ultimately respecting an unconventional, rules-defying goofball who nonetheless did his job very well. The parallel only goes so far, but it still makes sense to me. Jake's character works in large part because we (and Holt) know that he's as dedicated as anyone to catching the bad guys.

The Amy/Sheldon "I love you" scene was remarkably emotional for a sitcom... I found myself really hoping that Amy's incredible patience will someday be rewarded with the kind of relationship she wants, after being amazed that Sheldon could overcome his fears enough to say those magic words. Wonderfully done, Mayim and Jim. I find the Stuart/Debbie thing funny in the context of the show. Stepping outside the sitcom world for a moment, it's not beyond what could happen when two lonely, needy people discover that they can in some way meet each other's needs, the generation gap notwithstanding. And yes, the Penny/Leonard scene on the roof was really sweet. Especially since she didn't wear heels.

A few random thoughts... I'm beginning to like Kym & Alli because they seem to be having fun, which is what I hope I would do if I ever ran the race. I thought that the team that parked in the handicapped space would be penalized at the mat and was surprised when they weren't. So racers are allowed to leave their cars anywhere they want rather than having to park them legally? Like a bunch of other folks here I assumed that once you handed the Save over to Phil it was like the immunity idols on Survivor... once you invoke it, it has been used, whether it turns out to have been needed or not. I didn't catch the seven-versus-eight flowers trick on the vase until I read this board this morning, so I guess I'd still be trying to build my parklet. Those sandwich recipes sounded a little, uh, odd. Just make mine a BLT.

I really liked the scene towards the beginning where the gang was staring at the landline phone as if it was some strange and mysterious object from an ancient time. I also enjoy the periodic appearances of the really weird (geology, is it?) teacher, the big bearded guy. And Angela from The Office!

Cute ponies! Woolly bouncing sheeps! A giant puffin greeter! Wonderful stuff. Not to mention the scenery. I wonder how the show arranged for so much sunshine on the day they filmed. I've had a chance to visit Scotland a couple times, but never got as far north as Shetland. I definitely need to get back there. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying this season of TAR even though most of the teams don't seem all that much fun to watch at this point. Adam & Bethany are a notable exception and my early rooting favorites to win. They're another example of stunt casting in a way, but their good nature, enthusiasm, and can-do attitude are the sort of thing I want to see on this show, not bitching and snarking.

I too think this show may have run its course. This season just seems flat. Penny's new job will probably generate some story opportunities, and I'd love to see Stuart get a more prominent role, but the interactions between the three guys have become so predictable. There are a few good jokes per episode, but for me it's not the must-see show it once was. Pick it up, writers.

Regarding the ratings drop and football, Fox did not have the late afternoon national game this week, so there was no football audience lead-in, plus the NBC Sunday night game (Patriots-Bengals) that was on against B99 probably benefitted from the heavy media coverage of the Pats and Tom Brady's on-field troubles this season. I'm not a fan of the switch to Sunday night myself, at least not during football season, but that's what DVRs are for.

I am so happy to have this show back... it has become my favorite TV comedy and works as well as any workplace ensemble comedy I've seen. All of the characters are wonderful -- yes, even Gina, whose oddball negativity appeals to me -- and I love their relationships with each other, which are more complex than what we get with most sitcoms. I know I'm not saying anything really new here, but after rewatching the season premier last night I'm just a gushing fan! Oh, and I'm in love with Rosa.

The weird looser guys that Jess met up with were great, as was Stoned Cece wandering through the party and talking to the dog. And Jess's little off-camera "eeeeeuwww" at the end after the magician announced that he was going to pull a hat from a rabbit. This episode was a definite improvement over the season premier.

I'm another longtime fan of this show who felt that something was a little off last night. Sheldon's train adventure story was perfect (why should he leave the stations in each new city... "that's where the trains are"), and the Stuart/Debbie story line is both funny and weirdly sweet. But Screaming Bernadette and Obnoxious Amy will get really annoying if the characters continue in that vein all season, and Sheldon's mean put-downs of Howard was just nasty. The group trivia session at the end of the second kind of smoothed things over, but between the two episodes there was a little too much bad-spirited competition within the gang. Let's play nice, guys and gals. OK? Not a fan of Penny's new hairdo, BTW. She looks more LA and less Nebraska now.

I am pleasantly surprised that a non-singer, non-child won, but I've been thinking that whoever it was going to be, that act may have actually had only 25-30% of the vote, given how many ways the balloting was split. In fact with six finalists, you theoretically could win with only 17% of the vote if everyone split more or less evenly. In early seasons of the show didn't they cut down to two or three acts for the final vote? Oh well, it's just a spectacle, and given the ratings success I don't think they have any reason to change.

Total agreement here on The Middle, which deserved at least a nomination for Best Comedy and Eden Sher for Best Supporting Comedy Actress. I guess the show gets ignored by the Emmys because it isn't edgy or controversial enough, but it's one of my two favorite current comedies (along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine). As for the endless repetition of awards for certain shows, I think it's just laziness on the part of voters who don't have the time or the interest to watch all of the submissions each year and so they vote for something familiar.

I just discovered this show a couple weeks ago and I am happy that I did. I love that the magicians are all really good (at least to a viewer like me who is happy to be fooled) and that there is no reliance on the sob stories or manufactured drama that have become the basis of American talent shows. Piff The Magic Dragon was wonderfully goofy. I'd pay to see his full show. So where was Teller hiding the coins that he produced? (Answers in the spoiler thread, please.)

I initially thought that this show had promise, and maybe it will still come together, but I agree with the comments above that Bruce is turning into an arrogant jerk in many of his dealings with the Swedes. Clueless and good-natured can be funny, like Bruce's dealings with the Iraqi guy, but I can totally do without the Ugly American attitude. Hey, you're in a lovely country with your lovely girlfriend. Lighten up, man.

Not great, but OK as a summer fill-in. I can generally appreciate a subtle approach to comedy as opposed to pie-in-your-face jokes, although the show could have moved a little faster. I just wonder how far they can go with the Swedish culture thing... it seems like a lovely place with intelligent, attractive people, and there are only so many jokes you can make about being naked and drunk in a sauna.

Good to see this one again... it's one of my favorite episodes of what became my favorite comedy last season. The scene with Peralta and Santiago on the roof is both funny and sweet, which is something this show does really well, and Rosa on the witness stand was just hysterical. ETA: OK, I just realized that I posted this in the wrong episode thread from last night's reruns, but the thought still counts!

That was one of the sorrier collections of acts that this show has put together and if I wasn't just half-watching while reading a book I would have switched channels. Only a couple last night that I'd want to see again. And what's the deal with basically everybody getting through? The 12-year-old comedian was awful, as others have written. Those jokes might have gotten me to snicker when I was 12, but he was gross and awkward rather than funny. I'm sure that even Howard Stern in his raunchy radio persona wouldn't bring the kid back. Samoan Soldier was a fantastic singer and seems like a nice guy, but the over-the-top orchestral fanfare was a little much. I did like the card trick guy... basic card-switching as far as the magic itself, but what made him fun was the clever story. And Bikini Opera Singer was funny too, but a one-trick act.

Here are some thoughts from a British TV critic as season 3 begins its run in the UK: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/new-girls-nick-and-jess-are-just-ross-and-rachel-in-disguise-9543539.html

I never thought I would write this sort of thing, but the trained pig was incredibly cute, especially when he "kissed" Heidi. Loved the wagging tail, like a happy dog. I look forward to seeing him one more time, although I suspect that one more appearance is about as much as the act will be able to pull off. The bar magician was pretty amazing given that he pulled off the tricks with short sleeves and in close proximity to the judges. I know there's an explanation for everything he did but I prefer to be mystified. Anxiety Girl was a fine singer and I wish her luck, but jeez, enough with the sob stories on this show. This is a talent competition but NBC throws in these soap operas. Sometimes I wonder if the producers want the winner to be a good-looking but homeless cancer survivor orphan who is recovering from addiction and a chronic skin rash, or something like that.

Not a great show in my opinion, but amusing enough as a time-filler, and given some time to develop and grow (which it won't get) it could be a pretty decent ensemble comedy. Danny doesn't bother me because the character is supposed to be over the top and full of himself, and this episode showed that he doesn't always know everything or get his way with the ladies. I agree that Shelly is a highlight... love that he never wears anything but Detroit-themed shirts.