S03.E02: Your Popcorn Made A Messing

[yeswedo]

 

Debra Messing; Katharine McPhee; Will Arnett; Meredith Vieira; Melissa Fumero; J.B. Smoove.

 

[BobH]

Hm, J.B. Smoove could be interesting. Hopefully Will Arnett will be decent. Kind of dreading Debra Messing.

[Kromm]

Good lord.  A guest cast where I find every single person except one (Melissa Fumero) somewhat annoying.

Okay, I'll give on Meredith Vieira too.  She's had her (good) moments.

[Actionmage]

Aside from McPhee not helping herself much, it was a fun episode. I like Popped Quiz more than I thought I would, but that could be because I wasn't pelted with popped corn.

 

With Messing and McPhee having Smash and Arnett and Smoove having The Millers as points in common, I liked the connextion and wished Fumero and Viera had one, yet I was glad that neither now-cancelled show was brought up. Side note: Isn't JB coming back to Last Comic Standing? He was serviceable as host and the show is coming back in a couple of weeks. A natural subject to play up, I thought.

 

Four Letter Word is still more fun to watch than to (probably) play.  I do like the improvements to the glasses though.

 

The backwards game was appropriately hard, but not so hard that folks can't score.

 

I Love  A Charade was fun as well. Everyone looked like they were having fun with it. I loved Fumero's genie clue- it was great!

 

This pair of celebrities worked better than last week's pair.  The civilian picked who I would have chosen and it appears that was a good choice.

 

Is 37 seconds the biggest amount of extra/ left-over time for the final round?  It has to be top 3 or 5, I would think.

 

I definitely will watch this again!

[Irlandesa]

Oh goodness. I watched Smash and yet, for some reason, it never once occurred to me that Debra and Katharine were on it together.  I was thinking how much I missed Megan Hilty the whole time.

 

Melissa Fumero and Will Arnett made a very good clue giving duo.  I think it's because they both went at the same time yet didn't talk over one another too much.  Plus, it seemed like they each took a different angle.  Whereas one might be giving a clue related to the work of the celeb, the other was giving a clue to their personal life.  Or for Quentin Tarantino, Will was describing what kind of work he did while Melissa was listing off the names of his projects.  I don't think it was planned but it worked well.

[aradia22]

I already liked most of the contestants before the show started so I had more fun this week. I think the new games still need some workshopping and I kind of wish How Do You Doo was just a permanent game. They did a much better job with the two-person clue giving at the end. They worked together instead of throwing out too much information.

[tom87]

The 2 two celebrities doing the final question together worked better this week.

But what a cop out and pun intended.  The guy answered police officer and the answer was cop and they didn't give it to him????

[BobH]

Okay, so the two celeb final round format can work to get a winner, so that's good, but I still think it's less entertaining TV.

Good episode overall, no one was too annoying. The backwards movie game was clever, and the popcorn one was okay, if you don't mind celebs over-reacting (not to mention over-acting). I wouldn't complain if they lost Four Letter Words.

The tie-breaking rule seemed odd, if only because a tie game on points has a good chance of also being tied in games won, two wins each and a tie (or 1-1-3 or all five tied), so you'd need a second tie-breaker. Not the case this time, but definitely possible.

[gpgurl50]

Melissa Fumero and Will Arnett are the dream team of the new final round format.  That is how it should be done unless you are on a team with Yvette Nicole Brown, in which case, shut your face and let the lady do her work.

 

I didn't mind the Librarian in the final round since she clearly knew her pop culture but that other guy should've won for policeman.  That was too little of a difference and they've accepted things in the past.

 

I echo Actionmage's statements on not acknowledging how the celebrities know each other.  This show is all about that stuff by creating the celebrity friend vibe.  It was weird that didn't happen this episode.

 

The thing that was interesting to watch in Four Letter Word was how the Librarian's team found everyone scrambling hilarious at first and then realized the other team scored more points than they did.  It was like, "haha... uh oh." 

 

Oh McPhee.  Her whole team was pointing at Melissa, basically out of their chairs trying to get her to say the answer.  Melissa was like, "no, don't look at your teammates."  McPhee LISTENED.  So much wow.

[Whimsy]

The 2 two celebrities doing the final question together worked better this week.

But what a cop out and pun intended.  The guy answered police officer and the answer was cop and they didn't give it to him????

I agree.  If there was more time after the teammate said Police Officer and Will said no or indicated to keep going they would've moved off of that entirely, I bet.  Started guessing completely different things.

 

I also think that they should've allowed Katherine McPhee's answer of "time".  She started to say the word before the buzzer.  If you start the word before the buzzer it should be counted.  Maybe I've just watched too many game shows in my life, but I feel like that's always been the rule.

 

I like this show.  I find it fun.  I just really don't like the way Jane Lynch delivers her lines.  Actually, I don't even like her lines.  It is just so cheesy and over the top.  I would prefer it more if the host of this show had a more relaxed feel- like we were really all friends in their home and we're hanging out (but with nicer language).  I don't know if I'm explaining it right, but I feel like that change would improve this show tremendously!

[Rinaldo]

But what a cop out and pun intended.  The guy answered police officer and the answer was cop and they didn't give it to him????

But that's how the game always works (and not just on this show). You have to say the word itself, not a synonym.

 

Fumero and Arnett were an ideal final pair. Wow -- they had a ton of time unused at the end.

[sugarbaker design]

I loved watching Katharine McPhee's brain working overtime on Be Kind, Rewind.  I wonder why celebs who are atrocious at parlor games would go on this show?

[ae2]

I loved watching Katharine McPhee's brain working overtime on Be Kind, Rewind.  I wonder why celebs who are atrocious at parlor games would go on this show?

 

Maybe they don't realize how bad they will be until they get there? Or they just like having fun? Or more likely, their agent thought it was a good idea.

 

Meredith Vieira, whoa. She is either incredibly confident in herself, incredibly good at these games, or an incredibly quick thinker. Or all 3. I've never seen anyone give responses as quickly and surely as she did. She may not have been the most entertaining person on this show, but she was one of the best players for many of the games.

[Primetimer]

But at least Will Arnett hit on her in French? We've collected all the night's high- and lowlights.

Read the story

[ari333]

Cant stand McPhee. Shocker that she doesn't know what a NASA rover is. And her "This is easy" when another player was up was obnoxious imo. The MARS answer... so much wow indeed. She's allowed to look at the team, is she not? (Maybe they're not allowed to point/gesture?, IDK) But I thought they are allowed to steal. Sweet baby Jesus, Mcphee..... she does this thing (according to her own words) where she opens her mouth as though/pretends she's, "biting and apple" because it, "makes her look fun in photos and on TV." *sigh*

 

I love JB Smoove, although I think he either left or got canned from Last Comic Standing (which I do plan to watch btw.) Summer tv can be slim pickins.

 

I like Arnett and Meredith, and well, Messing too. Didn't recognize the brunette comic chick.

 

The prankster team got credit for Planet of the Apes in the rewind game, but the civilian leader added a "THE" IIRC that wasn't part of the title. Anyone? I mean they got the rest of the title, but added a word that wasn't supposed to be there. [/nit]

 

I kind of dont' enjoy the boom and popcorn games. Love the Doo Doo, as mentioned, and anything charades-esque.

 

Wow, Meredith's casual mention of no-undies way back on The View really follows her around. :)

Edited July 15, 2015 by ari333

[MMLEsq]

Okay, so the two celeb final round format can work to get a winner, so that's good, but I still think it's less entertaining TV.

I agree that having two celebrities in the end is less entertaining, but I guess two charities benefit instead of one, so....silver lining.

 

I loved watching Katharine McPhee's brain working overtime on Be Kind, Rewind.  I wonder why celebs who are atrocious at parlor games would go on this show?

Ah, Katharine McPhee.  If there was any doubt as to whether or not she's a "mental giant," all such doubt was erased last night.  She looked so confused...especially during the Be Kind, Rewind game.  

 

I like Arnett and Meredith, and well, Messing too. Didn't recognize the brunette comic chick.

Shamless plug here for Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  It's hysterical!  In fact, while I was watching HGN last night, I was thinking how great it would be to have an all Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode:  Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, Andrew Braugher, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti and either Melissa Fumero or Stephanie Beatriz.

[Rinaldo]

I loved watching Katharine McPhee's brain working overtime on Be Kind, Rewind.  

Obviously some editing-for-time goes on with this show... taking out dead air, getting set up, and so on. I wondered if after the very first game of "Be Kind, Rewind," where she clearly and painfully had no idea what they were supposed to be doing, they stopped and explained the rules again till she sort of understood. In subsequent rounds she managed OK, though always with that deer-in-headlights fearful look. Which I loved. So satisfying to see her nitwittedness exposed.

 

Didn't recognize the brunette comic chick.

 

The prankster team got credit for Planet of the Apes in the rewind game, but the civilian leader added a "THE" IIRC that wasn't part of the title. Anyone? I mean they got the rest of the title, but added a word that wasn't supposed to be there. [/nit]

It's so funny (not saying it's wrong) to see her identified as "comic chick," because Melissa Fumero had a pretty straight dramatic career going until 2 years ago when she started revealing unexpected sides on Brooklyn 9-9. In a role that could have been a cliché -- the do-gooder spoilsport -- she has brought out a goofiness and quick-witted sense of fun that has been a joy, and one of the best things on an already outstanding series.

 

As for the extra "the" at the end of Planet of the Apes -- doesn't matter. A complete correct answer had already been given. Additional words spoken thereafter don't affect the correctness.

[sinkwriter]

I echo Jane: "Oh, Katherine..." I mean, wow. The opponent says the answer and you have the opportunity to steal it and you stand there blankly like "I have no idea what's going on." Which is probably true. But wow. That was pretty embarrassing. How has she not figured out that a movie about going back in time needs the word "time" before the word "machine," which has already been given? How has she not even heard about the Mars rovers? And even if she hadn't read about it or seen it on TV... as Tara pointed out, "MELISSA SAID THE ANSWER, GENIUS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NASA, YOU JUST HAVE TO LISTEN."

 

It's like she's been living on another planet. (But clearly not Mars.)  ;)

 

Seriously though, I was stunned at how hard she seemed to be thinking in a lot of these games.

 

On a side note, my dad would totally love playing the Popped Quiz game. 1) If he gets the answer right, his team gets a point. 2) If he gets the answer wrong, he's pelted with his favorite snack. It would have been win-win for him.

Edited July 16, 2015 by sinkwriter

[iMonrey]

Oh my. Why do dumb, Kat McPhee? And I'm sorry, I will never be able to warm up to someone who has given themselves the moniker of "smoove."

 

I did like Be Kind Rewind though, and even McPhee redeemed herself somewhat in Four Letter Word. I don't think I care much for the Popcorn game. 

 

I still think it's too confusing having two people shout clues at you in the final round. Hats off to the librarian for pulling it off so well and Melissa and Will did a pretty good job but there was still a lot of simultaneous shouting going on, and that's got to be nerve wracking, trying to pick out this or that from two people talking at the same time.

 

Is Debra Messing pregnant? From certain angles that outfit made me wonder.

 

The funny thing about shows like this is I always wonder if that poor guy who lost is going to spend the rest of his life blaming Katherine McPhee for costing him $25 grand. I would.

Edited July 15, 2015 by iMonrey

[BobH]

Enjoy the EHG podcast on the show. I also tripped over Jane giving 1977 as the year Jabba the Hutt came out, but to be fair he was mentioned by name in the original version of the movie, even if he didn't appear.

[opus]

To a couple of above posters, Anthony Jeselnik is the new host of Last Comic Standing.

[Black Knight]

In the previous episode, did the editors include the bit about how in the Celebrity Name Game, only the civilian can pass on a clue? If so, that flew right by me then, but I heard it tonight. That change does make sense now that it's two celebrities helping the civilian.

 

I really enjoyed this episode. All the games were fun and the celebrity reactions amusing, and they all seemed to try hard even if one of them was really unsuccessful, McPhee. The civilian had an embarrassment of riches to pick from for Celebrity Name Game - Melissa Fumero and Will Arnett were great picks, but I think she could have won with Meredith Vieira and/or Debra Messing, too. It's relatively safe to expect that nobody knows more names and related biographical information than Meredith does, given her profession, and I don't think there was any real gap between Melissa and Debra. To basically not be able to go wrong with four out of six celebrities is great odds. (I didn't get enough of a read on Smoove, and the less said about McPhee, the better.)

[A Boston Gal]

I loved watching Katharine McPhee's brain working overtime on Be Kind, Rewind.

 

You could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears.

[April Bloodgate]

This pair of celebrities worked better than last week's pair.  The civilian picked who I would have chosen and it appears that was a good choice.

 

Is 37 seconds the biggest amount of extra/ left-over time for the final round?  It has to be top 3 or 5, I would think.

I'm not a fan of the new two-person format, but this was an impressive performance. I agree that she picked the 2 best people, they worked well together, and the amount of time left definitely is one of the best showings.

[aradia22]

 

I like this show.  I find it fun.  I just really don't like the way Jane Lynch delivers her lines.  Actually, I don't even like her lines.  It is just so cheesy and over the top.  I would prefer it more if the host of this show had a more relaxed feel- like we were really all friends in their home and we're hanging out (but with nicer language).  I don't know if I'm explaining it right, but I feel like that change would improve this show tremendously!

Agreed. I love Jane and I've loved the show from the beginning but I love her in spite of the terrible jokes they write for her/she writes for herself. All of her intros, the patter she has with each of the contestants, the jokes about the mansion... they're the worst. Like, truly awful. I just accept it as part of the show now but it is the opposite of good.

[paramitch]

Awesome recap -- it's always nice to see a fellow critic who finds Messing frustrating and uneven. I had a love/hate thing with "Will & Grace" -- and her manic, frantic overacting (combined with the show's hypocritical refusal to give Will an actual love interest until the final season or two) was the main reason why.

However: I liked Messing on "Smash," even if the writers let her down. And she was miles better than the vacant McPhee (more on that below). And I agree that Messing was very likable here (which made me feel bad for hating her acting style in the past). She came off as sharp, smart, and completely willing to be humiliated here -- so of course I ended up adoring her.

Meanwhile, oh, what glorious snark on McPhee, whom I find loathsome as a performer (oh the thousands of dead bees she killed in each and every robotic number on "Smash") and as a person (hey, what can I say, I'm on Team Mary McCormack, here). The more the show insisted she was a STARRRRR, the more I waited for Megan Hilty to win the day in every way.

And a few years later, McPhee is still the reason I burst out laughing at every single "Scorpion" promo, as they all start out with flash-shots of McPhee and various others in dramatic scenarios, while the announcer intones, "THESE GENIUSES..."

McPhee may eventually learn to act. But nothing in those black, blank sharklike eyes is ever going to convince me that she can play someone with an actual IQ above 90. Which is why I was sad that Arnett's glorious moment of Francais here seemed to actually be at least somewhat genuine (run away, Will! You'd be making a huge mistake!).

[BW Manilowe]

Awesome recap -- it's always nice to see a fellow critic who finds Messing frustrating and uneven. I had a love/hate thing with "Will & Grace" -- and her manic, frantic overacting (combined with the show's hypocritical refusal to give Will an actual love interest until the final season or two) was the main reason why.

However: I liked Messing on "Smash," even if the writers let her down. And she was miles better than the vacant McPhee (more on that below). And I agree that Messing was very likable here (which made me feel bad for hating her acting style in the past). She came off as sharp, smart, and completely willing to be humiliated here -- so of course I ended up adoring her.

Meanwhile, oh, what glorious snark on McPhee, whom I find loathsome as a performer (oh the thousands of dead bees she killed in each and every robotic number on "Smash") and as a person (hey, what can I say, I'm on Team Mary McCormack, here). The more the show insisted she was a STARRRRR, the more I waited for Megan Hilty to win the day in every way.

And a few years later, McPhee is still the reason I burst out laughing at every single "Scorpion" promo, as they all start out with flash-shots of McPhee and various others in dramatic scenarios, while the announcer intones, "THESE GENIUSES..."

McPhee may eventually learn to act. But nothing in those black, blank sharklike eyes is ever going to convince me that she can play someone with an actual IQ above 90. Which is why I was sad that Arnett's glorious moment of Francais here seemed to actually be at least somewhat genuine (run away, Will! You'd be making a huge mistake!).

Small point here... In Scorpion, Katharine McPhee's character isn't 1 of the geniuses; she's the (apparently average) mother of the youngest genius (a 9-year-old boy) on the team. Her character description on the show's Wikipedia page says, among other things, that she helps the team interact with normal people. In turn, the team's leader helps her character understand her son isn't challenged, he's really a genius.

[April Bloodgate]

Small point here... In Scorpion, Katharine McPhee's character isn't 1 of the geniuses; she's the (apparently average) mother of the youngest genius (a 9-year-old boy) on the team. Her character description on the show's Wikipedia page says, among other things, that she helps the team interact with normal people. In turn, the team's leader helps her character understand her son isn't challenged, he's really a genius.

I'd been thinking about watching Scorpion (I think Dave recommended it at some point.), but now that I know McPhee is on it, I'm kind of scared to go there. (I despise her.) Can anyone speak to how much screen time she gets and how annoying she is on it?

[peeayebee]

Shamless plug here for Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  It's hysterical!  In fact, while I was watching HGN last night, I was thinking how great it would be to have an all Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode:  Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, Andrew Braugher, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti and either Melissa Fumero or Stephanie Beatriz.

Oh my, that would be AWESOME! I doubt NBC would do that with a Fox show, but we can dream.

 

And I'm sorry, I will never be able to warm up to someone who has given themselves the moniker of "smoove."

 

That's not his real last name?

 

Fun episode. I like the new games. Popped Quiz was silly and actually challenging, I thought. For instance, I didn't know The Flintstones came before The Rolling Stones. And, yes, I'm old enough to know.

 

Be Kind, Rewind was pretty good, though I didn't think it was as hard as the players made it out to be. Certainly you have to be careful, so maybe the extra time they took was just them each thinking it over three or four times to be sure it was right before they spoke.

 

Is 'cop' really an acronym for Constable On Patrol?

 

"I gotta P! I gotta P!" was pretty funny.

 

And, yes, Melissa and Will worked really well together on the final round. I somehow don't think that'll happen often.

[Irlandesa]

That's not his real last name?

Wikipedia says it's Jerry Brooks which he shortened to J.B. and added "Smoove" in his standup.

 

Is 'cop' really an acronym for Constable On Patrol?.

Alas, no it is not. If you look up the word, it comes from an old latin word meaning to "seize" which later also meant to "arrest."  But I kept digging for the "constable on patrol" thing to see if it's a thing or if it was just a really clever improvisation by Will.  So it turns out it's a thing, which is why I linked the snopes page instead of a dictionary page.  Plus, it has some cool facts about the fact that not many acronyms are the origins of words. 

 

I was not upset that "police" wasn't accepted for "cop."  Perhaps someone could refresh my memory but I can't remember a time when a synonym or an incomplete clue was accepted. (For instance, if they're looking for a full name, just the first words won't do."

[Rinaldo]

I was not upset that "police" wasn't accepted for "cop."  Perhaps someone could refresh my memory but I can't remember a time when a synonym or an incomplete clue was accepted. (For instance, if they're looking for a full name, just the first words won't do."

You're quite right. Any time a game like this is played, the point is to get your teammates to say that exact word, not a paraphrase or synonym or partial version. I actually suspect that Will knew this too, and was just doing a "bit" that turned out less funny and concise than he might have hoped.

 

People do love to invent acronyms for older words, but any time someone cites one, you can pretty much count on its being bogus. "Fuck" didn't come from a sign on the accused saying "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," it's a longstanding English verb. And "tip" isn't To Insure Promptness (which makes no sense, time-order-wise, in any case), but old thieves' jargon (I find that my own idea that it was "tippling money" was equally wrong).

[irisheyes]

Katharine McPhee's no genius, is she?  She couldn't even be funny when she didn't have a clue of what to do.  I guess she needed a couple more drinks.  :)

[what]

Jane seemed to have a crush on Meredith! She seemed to direct a lot of her sweet comments toward her. It was cute, especially when she said something about Merediths shoes.

Glad I'm not the only one that was chuckling at McPhee. She sucks. It seemed like Will was doing everything he could from yelling "seriously?!" at her.

[iMonrey]

 

For instance, I didn't know The Flintstones came before The Rolling Stones.

 

That one threw me too. I knew The Flintstones originally aired in the 60s but I would have guessed mid-to-late 60s based on the fact that it was in color. 1960 seems a little early for that, most sitcoms were still in black and white back then.

[Rinaldo]

It would have been harder to draw cartoons in B&W -- all the animators were trained for color -- so they were filmed that way. They were broadcast in color for the first two seasons (starting in 1960) but the source had been made in color, so there was no problem rerunning it that way later.

 

I was sure about the (approximate) date, because it was on by the time I started high school in 1961.

[dcalley]

I kept digging for the "constable on patrol" thing to see if it's a thing or if it was just a really clever improvisation by Will.

If I'd been playing Balderdash with Will, I would have fallen for this one. He convinced me in the moment.

[Irlandesa]

If I'd been playing Balderdash with Will, I would have fallen for this one. He convinced me in the moment.

That's because he probably believed it.  If there's a Snopes article out there, then someone originally believed it.

[April Bloodgate]

I agree that they should give you "police officer" if you guess "cop". But Will's explanation that cop stands for "constable on patrol" doesn't help the argument. The words "police officer" are nowhere in "constable on patrol", so I don't get what his point is. 

[queenanne]

Maybe they don't realize how bad they will be until they get there? Or they just like having fun? Or more likely, their agent thought it was a good idea.

 

Meredith Vieira, whoa. She is either incredibly confident in herself, incredibly good at these games, or an incredibly quick thinker. Or all 3. I've never seen anyone give responses as quickly and surely as she did. She may not have been the most entertaining person on this show, but she was one of the best players for many of the games.

 

Shouldn't Vieira be good, though?  I mean, in addition to her primary profession, she hosted one of the syndicated "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"'s.  It's almost like she's tailor made for the task.

[Kromm]

Had this one recorded and only just saw this (even though I commented on hating most of the cast before the episode aired).

 

Man, it's a good thing that reality show and acting worked out for Kat McPhee.  If she actually had to use her brain for a job she'd be in big trouble.