Monsters of Television

“Glee doing Michael Jackson is worse than Michael Jackson being a child molester.”

Even with not a whole lot going on (and down one partner in crime), the gentlemen discuss the week that was. I wish there was more I could say here but you really just have to listen to the podcast. I will say, though, that if you’re not caught up on How I Met Your Mother or Lost, you should probably get up to speed before listening or you might get — well, lost. Some items to help you with HIMYM references: The Gentleman, Slap Bet, A Gentlemen’s Agreement, Challenge Accepted. If you haven’t watched Lost — well, what are you doing here in the first place?

Topic: Place in the podcast

Running time: 64 minutes

• How I Met Your Mother (episode 0614): 0:01:22
• House: 0:07:38
• Chuck: 0:15:41
• Fairly Legal: 0:25:28
• CW Scheduling: 0:37:08
• The Office: 0:39:58
• 30 Rock: 0:45:32
• Parks & Recreation: 0:49:08
• The Rest of NBC Thursday: 0:50:11
• Downton Abbey: 0:52:31
• Showtime Programming: 0:52:38
• Cable news coverage of Egyptian unrest: 0:54:34

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Marriage, friendship, family, work, sexual. There are many kinds of relationships. But there’s only one kind that offers all of the benefits of the aforementioned relationships in one awesome package (well, except for sexual): the bromance. There is nothing like the bond between two heterosexual men. In the past 10 years we’ve seen some prime examples of bromance at work. Let us explore them together.

10. Kenan and Kel (Kenan and Kel: 1996-2000)

Awwww here it goes! These two began their chemistry on Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That and it spawned their own show in 1996. The pair got into all sorts of shenanigans often orchestrated by the scheming Kenan and forced awry by clumsy Kel. They are the reasons kids in the 90s thought they could mess up and get away without any real consequences. I know I used it as an excuse. But I think my parents were just happy I was watching something with black people in it. The show has a number of nostalgia inducing bits of dialogue including “Who loves orange soda?”, “I. Put the screw. In the Tuna.”, and the quote used at the beginning of this paragraph. What spelled a bright career for the duo eventually culminated in short lived film success for Kel (and rumors of his death) and a gig on Saturday Night Live for Kenan. But it’s their own show where they shined. And Coolio did their addictive theme song. That equaled some serious street cred in the 90s. Right?

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“I’m not ready for this.”

When last we last this show, Ted was sorting everyone’s life out but his own and then went to watch It’s A Wonderful Life while the episode failed to really follow through with any reflections on Ted’s own inability to get his life in order. Needless to say, the show really only follows through with the Marshall and Lily baby plot.

But that’s not really what matters, is it? The episode is very unimpresisve, with very little of the inspired humor that could come from the premises (lasertag tournament, SANDY RIVERS!) but that button. Man, that button grabbed what’s left of my cold, bitter, cynical heart.

That is, if I still had one. Read more »

“So why do I feel outside of awesome looking in?”

The problem with “False Positive” is one of story perspective. While I appreciate it when the show neatly divides the episode into segments (it makes note taking  great deal easier), it also calls attention to when a character is given less attention. And in this episode, as is often the case, it’s Ted that gets the short end of the narrative stick.

Now, I’m as tired of writing about this as you are of reading it, but I’m going to give the show the benefit of the doubt that the emotional and symbolic heft that the episode sets up but then spectacularly fails to pay off for Ted will eventually circle back to us later in the season. Because this is his story, for better for worse. In this case, it’s the story of how Ted fixed everyone else’s life without reflecting that he needed to fix his own. Read more »

“Ted, let me show you my harpoon collection.”

“The Mermaid Theory” is not a bad episode, but it’s not particularly great either. If anything, it’s a lazily funny episode of HIMYM, which seems to a trend the show keeps falling into (“Glitter”, “Baby Talk”) this season. The show has ideas, but they never really reach hilarious or emotionally strong heights that the show used to be able to achieve without a hiccup.

If anything, the episode’s three-plot structure only makes clear the its failings and its strengths. Read more »

“It’s Robin Sparkles 3, ya’ll!”

I was just as excited to hear these words as Ted and company were.

Callbacks are something that How I Met Your Mother does extremely well. The show features some of the best recurring jokes and characters such as “Challenge Accepted”, Robin Sparkles and Slap Bet, the latter two making reappearances in this episode. It’s not just the humor that makes HIMYM the best comedy on TV right now, it’s the emotional resonances, the lessons learned. The Full House moments if you will. Coincidental because Bob Saget is the voice of Future Ted.

“Glitter” isn’t just an episode about Robin Sparkles and porn and space travel, it’s an episode about friendship and growing apart. And math.

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“Boutineer is French for ‘Booty is near.’“

If there’s one thing that How I Met Your Mother does well it’s delay pleasure. Sadly, sometimes the show sometimes can’t sustain the build up and the climax just kind of peters out.  It happens to the best of shows, so I’m willing forgive it every now and then. At least this time the show actually had some game compared to earlier episodes this season.

…That sound really dirty, didn’t it? Read more »

“Oh, none for him. He’s stuffed.”

The gang all gussied up. And grown up.

This is weird: I don’t have a single complaint.

I’ve been abused by the show since last season, and this season hasn’t shaped up to be much better (I liked portions of “Baby Talk” but found the episode on the whole to be blah). As a result, I’m super-wary of the fact that I really enjoyed this episode. I’m worried it’s just going to punch me in the gonads and the wiener when the next new episode airs.

That’s how far the show has fallen for me: I’m worried that a good thing like this episode means I’m just setting myself up to be disappointed again. Read more »

“That’s really funny, Cougartown, but you’re Cougartown and I’m not going to watch you.”

As the ABC comedy block is about to start for Wednesday night on the East Coast, listen in as Matt and Nick discuss if Modern Family lives up to the hype and what the best comedy on television is for the season thus far. Matt walks a fine line as he proposes one of the most reviled shows on Monsters to be a contender.

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