Hi all,
In addition to our returning shows, this week we watched 2 new pilots, both comedies, to see if any made the cut to our regularly scheduled programming.
CAROL'S SECOND ACT "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
I was a huge fan of THE MIDDLE (and still am, boy do I miss that show), and would often catch re-runs of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, so it was perhaps no surprise that we tuned in to watch Patricia Heaton's latest sitcom vehicle, a CBS Multi-Cam called "Carol's Second Act".
CBS multi-cams (loosely defined as a more typical sitcom with a laugh track) aren't really at the top of my list when I think about what Pilots I want to watch, but what the hell, it's only 22 minutes, right? Although, last time I said that, I ended up watching 2 Broke Girls for all 6 seasons.
Multi-cam Pilots are extremely tricky to get right. Not only do you have significant time constraints in establishing character and plot, you have to hit a high laughs-per-minute ratio to really sell the format. Unfortunately, Carol's Second Act struggled in both. Sometimes it felt that it was through the pure will of Patricia Heaton's energy that the show held itself together at all.
The characters are unfortunately predictable and anemic. Each of them kitted out with one defining trait to see them through the first episode before they can (presumably) be fleshed out in episodes to come. The writing leaves a lot to be desired, the jokes simply aren't clever or funny as a consequence of trying to establish too much. As is a common hazard for sitcom pilots, there is too much going on to let the show breathe a bit, and for characters and actors to find their flow in a scene and bounce off each other. Instead a scene is hurried through: PLOT, JOKE, PLOT, JOKE, LAUGH, EXIT, NEXT SCENE. HURRY, HURRY, HURRY.
There are two nuggets of potential, the pairing of Carol and Kyle MacLachlan's characters and the introduction of Carol's daughter near the end of the episode, who is a pharma-rep and could add some actual interesting conflict into the show that could be mined for some comedy. However, a lot of the success of the show will depend on the writers honing in and focusing their stories on what they want this show to ultimately be about. If it's actually about Carol's Second Act, then lay off the Grey's Anatomy style cohort of interns and their associated dynamics and really dig deep into Carol's journey, there's a lot of potential there. If the show is more of an ensemble grounded by the cohort of interns, then quickly round out those other three characters in a way that feels specific, fresh and exciting. Hell, if it's about the current state of the medical profession and the clash between Doctors and Big Pharma, then let's explore that. Don't try to do all three at once, you won't get anywhere. Pick a lane. Commit. Like MOM, you can always re-tool and refine if it doesn't work out.
The grading curve is more forgiving on a Pilot, particularly multi-cams, so I award this one a D.
Sunday, 29 September 2019
TV Reviews: 2019 Season Premiere Week (23 - 27 SEP)
Welcome, to the 2019-20 TV Season for the American Networks! While the excitement of Premiere Week and a new season has somewhat diminished over the last ten or so years, there is something still quite exciting about approaching the colder and darker weather knowing you're about to return to watching the familiar comforts of the shows and characters you have grown to enjoy, and hopefully finding some new ones!
In this post I will write about my thoughts to the following returning shows that we watch in my household. They are: This Is Us, Modern Family, Superstore, The Good Place, Mom & Fresh Off The Boat.
Most of these shows we have watched from the beginning (I think we came into Modern Family around Season 3), and currently they range from us full on hate-watching to watching with a genuine love for the show.
I hope you enjoy.
THIS IS US: "Strangers" (Season 4, Episode 1)
There has been some hype over the summer, alongside the premiere trailer, about the new faces on the block. Who are they? Why are they here? Why should we care? This, alongside interviews by the creator indicating a 'risk' being taken with the premiere, piqued my interest. However, not to worry, it's really nothing more than a more heavy-handed, over-hyped approach of introducing some new characters to interact with the old.
Not that there's anything wrong with that of course, and the deep exploration we get of Cassidy (the troubled Marine), Malik (the teenager who wants more for the daughter he is raising) and Jack (the charming, blind singer), shows that the writers are investing heavily in fleshing these characters out before letting them loose on the rest of the established cast. I'm ultimately not opposed to this; longer running series often make the mistake of rushing in half-thought out, newer 'splashy' characters into established shows to keep them from going stale, so it is good to watch This Is Us trying not to fall into that trap.
This does mean that many of the existing characters, namely the triplets, are sacrificed and do not receive much screen-time. When you want to hook your audience back in to your show in a crowded premiere week, should you really sacrifice the characters they know and love right off the bat? Personally, I think it works, but from a commercial standpoint I can understand the 'risk' that was being taken here.
And it works because the three stories that introduce Cassidy, Malik and Jack to the show are strong and engaging, so it makes for an interesting episode. In addition, a powerful thread about Jack meeting Rebecca's parents anchor the show and help with that sense of familiarity. Although the show struggles sometimes to wade out of the melodrama of its own long speeches, the one Jack gives to Rebecca's parents at the country club dinner is powerful, in particular in his rebuttal to Vietnam 'not being a real war'. The writers were clever to utilize the built in emotion that audiences have of seeing Jack in Vietnam last season, and the resulting speech Jack provides as to why Vietnam felt very real to him hits the mark. It's a great example of a show, now four years on, utilizing their in-show backstory to provide an emotionally authentic and specific moment for Jack, that we can relate to. All in all, it was an episode highlight.
In addition, the ending montage which links the new characters to the established ones, is also satisfying. In a neat twist and call-back to the Pilot, one of the character's stories is revealed to be from the future, as we discover that Jack is actually Kate and Toby's son. The most interesting new character, Cassidy, gets the most tenuous link (for now), but it's mystery in how she will be further linked into the show leaves me wanting more. Also, her husband is played by former Revenge actor Nick Wechsler (hi!). One slightly off-note is that we didn't need to hear Jack sing, especially a song that isn't particularly engaging and heavily auto-tuned.
Overall, I would rate the premiere a solid B.
MODERN FAMILY: "New Kids on the Block" (Season 11, Episode 1)
Let's get this over with, shall we?
Now limping into its final season, the premiere offered more of the same issues that have plagued the series for several years now. There are two in particular; the huge number of principal cast members to service results in weak, badly fleshed out stories that miss their mark, and the over-reliance on lazy and predictable character beats to propel the stories forward. Both issues are out in full force in this episode, with a particularly disastrous story offered to Mitch and Cam. If anyone couldn't map out every story beat that this storyline offered us, then you obviously haven't seen the show before.
The Haley / Claire / Phil story had some neat potential as it was a classic story of differing parental approaches in caring for babies. This is the story where there was the most opportunity to pack a bit of an emotional punch, whether it's Haley realizing that she could learn a lot from her Claire and Phil or vice versa. Unfortunately, this was all squandered by cheap sight gags and cold and calculated behavior from Claire and Phil. It was just painful to watch, although the sight gag of Haley hurling her way up to the roof and through the window did elicit a smirk.
The Manny radio advertisement story also lost it's way very quickly. I can't even remember Manny's ex-girlfriend (I assume she was in the previous season?) and the gag of her responding positively to Manny's critics got old within about 30 seconds.
Finally, the thread of Alex interrupting the different stories with her tales from Antarctica added approximately nothing to the show, and the revelation that she was only staying there to make Jay proud of her feels forced and makes no sense. Since when has Alex been portrayed as someone that needs approval from her Grandfather?
I am really hoping that, as they chart their way through the final season of the show, that the writers can create some strong, pointed character/story arcs that see the show off the airwaves. However, I imagine they will try to do too much to service every character, and ultimately service none.
Sorry Modern Family, but I give you a D.
SUPERSTORE "Cloud 9.0" (Season 5, Episode 1)
Superstore did not disappoint in its premiere. Coming off the back of a truly gut-punching finale last season, there is always a little worry that Superstore would undermine itself by returning to the status-quo too quickly. However, it appears that we are in safe hands as Mateo appears only briefly in the premiere in a haunting little scene where he relays to Cheyenne how much he is struggling in the detention center. A little goes a long way in portraying such serious (and not to mention topically and politically relevant) issues, and the writers and producers appear to have recognized this. The treatment of Cheyenne's reaction to everything was also on-point, and authentic to her character. It was both funny and painfully sad, with the balance executed well.
And boy, was the show funny. From the opening tag where Dina belts out the end of the commercial to the antics of the robot floor cleaner, everything in this show just clicks.
The unionization thread is one that is particularly interesting to me about Superstore at the moment. It's a story thread that was once explored before (I want to say, end of Season 1?) but was crescendo'd too quickly and then dropped. However, Superstore has grown a lot in the resulting years, in both its confidence in the way it tells its stories to understanding what works and what doesn't with its characters. The union thread is a tricky story to tell, because you want your characters to win, yet winning in this context (whether that's through unionization and / or the recognition of it by Corporate) would be unrealistic because it is a story bigger than the one store, and ultimately bigger than the show itself. It's those exact types of risky stories that I love, and precious few shows are clever enough to do them justice. Superstore has always subtly used its comedy and platform to make social commentary on Corporations vs. the Little Guy, and the positioning of Amy between the two worlds I think will make for some fascinating developments, particularly if they anchor it in the Amy / Jonah relationship.
The robot cleaner, the fact that he is called Glen (with one N) and the sight gags of it pushing Glenn on the ladder, and recovering from being pushed off the roof, are hilarious. The character of Glenn had a bit of a rocky transition in Season 4 when the power-dynamics shifted between him and Amy, and sometimes Glenn was a bit too annoying or over-the-top in his interactions as they tried to re-work the character to fit into this new world. In my opinion, a little of Glenn goes a long way, and I think they found the right balance in this episode in his feud with the robot cleaner!
The plot to break Mateo out yielded some laughs, and the conclusion, where they have Dina justify her guilt at not finding an escape route for Mateo to the fact that she was upset that her birds were let out by Garrett, and thereby pinning it on him to make herself feel better, was very satisfying. I love that they haven't dropped the bird plot, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
And of course, who could forget about Sandra! The thread about her never being quite able to announce her engagement, and that stellar scene with her nemesis provided a little bit of intrigue as to what will happen next.
In conclusion, a great start to the season: A.
THE GOOD PLACE "A Girl from Arizona (Part 1)" (Season 4, Episode 1)
I must admit, I was a little disappointed in The Good Place premiere. It felt a little too busy to really hone in on any story effectively and the result felt a bit flat. In addition, I'm not really sure why this was made a two-parter, if not only to almost apologize that this does not work as a stand-alone episode. I'm interested to see how the second episode fairs, but I suspect this may have worked better as an hour-long premiere (and perhaps, based on how this was written, this was how it was intended).
The emotional sucker-punch of the Elena / Chidi relationship being destroyed in the finale is not really picked back up and explored here, although one must imagine the devastation Elena is feeling must be hugely significant. However, we move swiftly onto Elena introducing three new humans into the Good Place.
The introduction of these humans provide some light comedy; the beats with the un-enthused Linda were hilarious and the introduction of the bigot Brent and Simone convincing herself she is making up the world in her mind were satisfactory.
The Good Place often makes the misstep of stagnating on certain jokes, characters or concepts in its storytelling, and in this episode the character of Derek outstays his welcome. Derek is one-note, and the plot point exploring the triangle between Derek, Jason and Janet is too inconsequential to be interesting.
The revelation of Linda as a demon in disguise and the resulting replacement of Linda by Chidi makes sense, although I sort of though Chidi was already one of the four in the experiment? But that's just my lapse in memory more than anything.
It's difficult to try and establish what the arcs will be on The Good Place, because in particularly Seasons 2 and 3, the plotting moves to quickly and jerky for anything to really become too established in its narrative. However, the idea that the team have to work to really understand the four humans in the experiment and then use that knowledge to make them better people has potential.
All in all, I would rate this episode as a C.
MOM "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalapeno Pepper" (Season 7, Episode 1)
How are we already on Season 7 of this show!? It feels like a much younger show, and that is nothing but a compliment. When you think about it, because of the significant re-tooling of the show in its first 3 years, this version of MOM has really only been around for 3 seasons.
New this season is Kristen Johntson's promotion to the principal cast. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Oh sure, Tammy is a funny character, yet her arc was her rehabilitation from prison. Now that she is sticking around, what is her role in the group? I wonder what the value is in having yet another character to service. I would prefer more screen-time with Wendy, as her more quiet nature brings something a bit different to the group.
This episode provides two chunky stories for each of the main leads. Bonnie's story works best. It is very funny to hear her inner monologues as she struggles to enjoy herself on her honeymoon in the mountains, and the beats with Adam's glasses really worked for me. As they often do on MOM, this story feels very authentic and specific to these characters. The transition of Bonnie into a mentor for new character Patty also felt fresh and exciting for the Bonnie character, particularly when Bonnie advises Patty with the same piece of advise that Marjorie imparted on her near the beginning of the episode. It's an implicit acknowledgement of how much Bonnie values that relationship, without hitting us over the head with it.
Christy's plot worked less well. Contrary to Bonnie's story, this one could be placed quite neatly into episodes of many shows airing today. The confusion around the new clockwise system of numbering the tables, and the counting to 4 when pouring measures were written and delivered well. However all in all, it really just served as a way to keep all the other characters busy while Bonnie's story delivered the classic 'MOM' brand of storytelling.
Overall, a solid B.
FRESH OFF THE BOAT "Help Unwanted" (Season 6, Episode 1)
A somewhat unexpected Season 6 (especially for Constance Wu) for this little gem of a show starts off on a relatively typical note. There are some funny moments, including pretty much anything that comes out of Jessica's mouth (again, not too surprising) and the adorable Evan beats, complete with blinky eyes of his beanie babies.
The Evan story is a strong one, acknowledging Evan's advancing age but in it's own FOTB way. The pairing of Louis and Eddie works as they both try to talk with Evan about the hormonal changes in his body as he starts to develop 'the tingles' for the opposite sex. As I mentioned, the blinking eyes of both Evan and his beanie babies is extremely funny, and continues to hold up even though when Eddie walks in to the room to try and accomplish what Louis couldn't, you know what's coming. The conclusion, where Evan educates himself on what's going on with him from books and the involvement of Grandma Jenny elevates the story further. A personal highlight was the use of the familiar "Yeahhhh" sound when Evan explains Eddie is approaching his sexual peak, which then changes into a "Noooo" when Evan explains to Eddie that it's all downhill after that.
The other main story is more typical and less effective. It's a Honey / Jessica pairing and deals with the two at odds when a conflict (Honey advising Emery to pick drama as his elective) results in them giving each other permission to meddle in each other's lives if it is for their own good. As typical with this sort of story, the meddling by both escalates into ridiculousness that is somewhat predictable. Although, Honey buying the Grandma a megaphone, and the continued use of that megaphone provides a couple of laugh out loud moments.
Overall, not bad: B-.
So there we have it, welcome back to the season all!
Episode Rankings:
Superstore: B
Mom: B
This Is Us: B
Fresh Off The Boat: B-
The Good Place: C
Modern Family: D
In this post I will write about my thoughts to the following returning shows that we watch in my household. They are: This Is Us, Modern Family, Superstore, The Good Place, Mom & Fresh Off The Boat.
Most of these shows we have watched from the beginning (I think we came into Modern Family around Season 3), and currently they range from us full on hate-watching to watching with a genuine love for the show.
I hope you enjoy.
THIS IS US: "Strangers" (Season 4, Episode 1)
There has been some hype over the summer, alongside the premiere trailer, about the new faces on the block. Who are they? Why are they here? Why should we care? This, alongside interviews by the creator indicating a 'risk' being taken with the premiere, piqued my interest. However, not to worry, it's really nothing more than a more heavy-handed, over-hyped approach of introducing some new characters to interact with the old.
Not that there's anything wrong with that of course, and the deep exploration we get of Cassidy (the troubled Marine), Malik (the teenager who wants more for the daughter he is raising) and Jack (the charming, blind singer), shows that the writers are investing heavily in fleshing these characters out before letting them loose on the rest of the established cast. I'm ultimately not opposed to this; longer running series often make the mistake of rushing in half-thought out, newer 'splashy' characters into established shows to keep them from going stale, so it is good to watch This Is Us trying not to fall into that trap.
This does mean that many of the existing characters, namely the triplets, are sacrificed and do not receive much screen-time. When you want to hook your audience back in to your show in a crowded premiere week, should you really sacrifice the characters they know and love right off the bat? Personally, I think it works, but from a commercial standpoint I can understand the 'risk' that was being taken here.
And it works because the three stories that introduce Cassidy, Malik and Jack to the show are strong and engaging, so it makes for an interesting episode. In addition, a powerful thread about Jack meeting Rebecca's parents anchor the show and help with that sense of familiarity. Although the show struggles sometimes to wade out of the melodrama of its own long speeches, the one Jack gives to Rebecca's parents at the country club dinner is powerful, in particular in his rebuttal to Vietnam 'not being a real war'. The writers were clever to utilize the built in emotion that audiences have of seeing Jack in Vietnam last season, and the resulting speech Jack provides as to why Vietnam felt very real to him hits the mark. It's a great example of a show, now four years on, utilizing their in-show backstory to provide an emotionally authentic and specific moment for Jack, that we can relate to. All in all, it was an episode highlight.
In addition, the ending montage which links the new characters to the established ones, is also satisfying. In a neat twist and call-back to the Pilot, one of the character's stories is revealed to be from the future, as we discover that Jack is actually Kate and Toby's son. The most interesting new character, Cassidy, gets the most tenuous link (for now), but it's mystery in how she will be further linked into the show leaves me wanting more. Also, her husband is played by former Revenge actor Nick Wechsler (hi!). One slightly off-note is that we didn't need to hear Jack sing, especially a song that isn't particularly engaging and heavily auto-tuned.
Overall, I would rate the premiere a solid B.
MODERN FAMILY: "New Kids on the Block" (Season 11, Episode 1)
Let's get this over with, shall we?
Now limping into its final season, the premiere offered more of the same issues that have plagued the series for several years now. There are two in particular; the huge number of principal cast members to service results in weak, badly fleshed out stories that miss their mark, and the over-reliance on lazy and predictable character beats to propel the stories forward. Both issues are out in full force in this episode, with a particularly disastrous story offered to Mitch and Cam. If anyone couldn't map out every story beat that this storyline offered us, then you obviously haven't seen the show before.
The Haley / Claire / Phil story had some neat potential as it was a classic story of differing parental approaches in caring for babies. This is the story where there was the most opportunity to pack a bit of an emotional punch, whether it's Haley realizing that she could learn a lot from her Claire and Phil or vice versa. Unfortunately, this was all squandered by cheap sight gags and cold and calculated behavior from Claire and Phil. It was just painful to watch, although the sight gag of Haley hurling her way up to the roof and through the window did elicit a smirk.
The Manny radio advertisement story also lost it's way very quickly. I can't even remember Manny's ex-girlfriend (I assume she was in the previous season?) and the gag of her responding positively to Manny's critics got old within about 30 seconds.
Finally, the thread of Alex interrupting the different stories with her tales from Antarctica added approximately nothing to the show, and the revelation that she was only staying there to make Jay proud of her feels forced and makes no sense. Since when has Alex been portrayed as someone that needs approval from her Grandfather?
I am really hoping that, as they chart their way through the final season of the show, that the writers can create some strong, pointed character/story arcs that see the show off the airwaves. However, I imagine they will try to do too much to service every character, and ultimately service none.
Sorry Modern Family, but I give you a D.
SUPERSTORE "Cloud 9.0" (Season 5, Episode 1)
Superstore did not disappoint in its premiere. Coming off the back of a truly gut-punching finale last season, there is always a little worry that Superstore would undermine itself by returning to the status-quo too quickly. However, it appears that we are in safe hands as Mateo appears only briefly in the premiere in a haunting little scene where he relays to Cheyenne how much he is struggling in the detention center. A little goes a long way in portraying such serious (and not to mention topically and politically relevant) issues, and the writers and producers appear to have recognized this. The treatment of Cheyenne's reaction to everything was also on-point, and authentic to her character. It was both funny and painfully sad, with the balance executed well.
And boy, was the show funny. From the opening tag where Dina belts out the end of the commercial to the antics of the robot floor cleaner, everything in this show just clicks.
The unionization thread is one that is particularly interesting to me about Superstore at the moment. It's a story thread that was once explored before (I want to say, end of Season 1?) but was crescendo'd too quickly and then dropped. However, Superstore has grown a lot in the resulting years, in both its confidence in the way it tells its stories to understanding what works and what doesn't with its characters. The union thread is a tricky story to tell, because you want your characters to win, yet winning in this context (whether that's through unionization and / or the recognition of it by Corporate) would be unrealistic because it is a story bigger than the one store, and ultimately bigger than the show itself. It's those exact types of risky stories that I love, and precious few shows are clever enough to do them justice. Superstore has always subtly used its comedy and platform to make social commentary on Corporations vs. the Little Guy, and the positioning of Amy between the two worlds I think will make for some fascinating developments, particularly if they anchor it in the Amy / Jonah relationship.
The robot cleaner, the fact that he is called Glen (with one N) and the sight gags of it pushing Glenn on the ladder, and recovering from being pushed off the roof, are hilarious. The character of Glenn had a bit of a rocky transition in Season 4 when the power-dynamics shifted between him and Amy, and sometimes Glenn was a bit too annoying or over-the-top in his interactions as they tried to re-work the character to fit into this new world. In my opinion, a little of Glenn goes a long way, and I think they found the right balance in this episode in his feud with the robot cleaner!
The plot to break Mateo out yielded some laughs, and the conclusion, where they have Dina justify her guilt at not finding an escape route for Mateo to the fact that she was upset that her birds were let out by Garrett, and thereby pinning it on him to make herself feel better, was very satisfying. I love that they haven't dropped the bird plot, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
And of course, who could forget about Sandra! The thread about her never being quite able to announce her engagement, and that stellar scene with her nemesis provided a little bit of intrigue as to what will happen next.
In conclusion, a great start to the season: A.
THE GOOD PLACE "A Girl from Arizona (Part 1)" (Season 4, Episode 1)
I must admit, I was a little disappointed in The Good Place premiere. It felt a little too busy to really hone in on any story effectively and the result felt a bit flat. In addition, I'm not really sure why this was made a two-parter, if not only to almost apologize that this does not work as a stand-alone episode. I'm interested to see how the second episode fairs, but I suspect this may have worked better as an hour-long premiere (and perhaps, based on how this was written, this was how it was intended).
The emotional sucker-punch of the Elena / Chidi relationship being destroyed in the finale is not really picked back up and explored here, although one must imagine the devastation Elena is feeling must be hugely significant. However, we move swiftly onto Elena introducing three new humans into the Good Place.
The introduction of these humans provide some light comedy; the beats with the un-enthused Linda were hilarious and the introduction of the bigot Brent and Simone convincing herself she is making up the world in her mind were satisfactory.
The Good Place often makes the misstep of stagnating on certain jokes, characters or concepts in its storytelling, and in this episode the character of Derek outstays his welcome. Derek is one-note, and the plot point exploring the triangle between Derek, Jason and Janet is too inconsequential to be interesting.
The revelation of Linda as a demon in disguise and the resulting replacement of Linda by Chidi makes sense, although I sort of though Chidi was already one of the four in the experiment? But that's just my lapse in memory more than anything.
It's difficult to try and establish what the arcs will be on The Good Place, because in particularly Seasons 2 and 3, the plotting moves to quickly and jerky for anything to really become too established in its narrative. However, the idea that the team have to work to really understand the four humans in the experiment and then use that knowledge to make them better people has potential.
All in all, I would rate this episode as a C.
MOM "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalapeno Pepper" (Season 7, Episode 1)
How are we already on Season 7 of this show!? It feels like a much younger show, and that is nothing but a compliment. When you think about it, because of the significant re-tooling of the show in its first 3 years, this version of MOM has really only been around for 3 seasons.
New this season is Kristen Johntson's promotion to the principal cast. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Oh sure, Tammy is a funny character, yet her arc was her rehabilitation from prison. Now that she is sticking around, what is her role in the group? I wonder what the value is in having yet another character to service. I would prefer more screen-time with Wendy, as her more quiet nature brings something a bit different to the group.
This episode provides two chunky stories for each of the main leads. Bonnie's story works best. It is very funny to hear her inner monologues as she struggles to enjoy herself on her honeymoon in the mountains, and the beats with Adam's glasses really worked for me. As they often do on MOM, this story feels very authentic and specific to these characters. The transition of Bonnie into a mentor for new character Patty also felt fresh and exciting for the Bonnie character, particularly when Bonnie advises Patty with the same piece of advise that Marjorie imparted on her near the beginning of the episode. It's an implicit acknowledgement of how much Bonnie values that relationship, without hitting us over the head with it.
Christy's plot worked less well. Contrary to Bonnie's story, this one could be placed quite neatly into episodes of many shows airing today. The confusion around the new clockwise system of numbering the tables, and the counting to 4 when pouring measures were written and delivered well. However all in all, it really just served as a way to keep all the other characters busy while Bonnie's story delivered the classic 'MOM' brand of storytelling.
Overall, a solid B.
FRESH OFF THE BOAT "Help Unwanted" (Season 6, Episode 1)
A somewhat unexpected Season 6 (especially for Constance Wu) for this little gem of a show starts off on a relatively typical note. There are some funny moments, including pretty much anything that comes out of Jessica's mouth (again, not too surprising) and the adorable Evan beats, complete with blinky eyes of his beanie babies.
The Evan story is a strong one, acknowledging Evan's advancing age but in it's own FOTB way. The pairing of Louis and Eddie works as they both try to talk with Evan about the hormonal changes in his body as he starts to develop 'the tingles' for the opposite sex. As I mentioned, the blinking eyes of both Evan and his beanie babies is extremely funny, and continues to hold up even though when Eddie walks in to the room to try and accomplish what Louis couldn't, you know what's coming. The conclusion, where Evan educates himself on what's going on with him from books and the involvement of Grandma Jenny elevates the story further. A personal highlight was the use of the familiar "Yeahhhh" sound when Evan explains Eddie is approaching his sexual peak, which then changes into a "Noooo" when Evan explains to Eddie that it's all downhill after that.
The other main story is more typical and less effective. It's a Honey / Jessica pairing and deals with the two at odds when a conflict (Honey advising Emery to pick drama as his elective) results in them giving each other permission to meddle in each other's lives if it is for their own good. As typical with this sort of story, the meddling by both escalates into ridiculousness that is somewhat predictable. Although, Honey buying the Grandma a megaphone, and the continued use of that megaphone provides a couple of laugh out loud moments.
Overall, not bad: B-.
So there we have it, welcome back to the season all!
Episode Rankings:
Superstore: B
Mom: B
This Is Us: B
Fresh Off The Boat: B-
The Good Place: C
Modern Family: D
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