This is the episode that made me fall in love with 30 Rock and Tina Fey. Women who grew up during second wave feminism's most active period during the Sixties and Seventies always feel at least some low-level guilt for their power and success because we are the beneficiaries of all the work before us. Throughout the series, Liz Lemon is hyper-vigilant about her own guilt. When Carrie Fisher the GOAT jumps on Liz's guilt trip, Liz goes all in and takes a left turn down Calle de Crazy (otherwise known as Little Chechnya). Alec Baldwin is in top comic form, and that's saying something. So many good lines, and his mashup of Fred Sanford and To Kill a Mockingbird is the most obtuse/brilliant riff I have ever witnessed. The page-off is also amusing. It's weird but true that after first viewing this episode, I felt understood. If art is cathartic, this episode is the orgasm that gets you there.
Reviews
14 Reviews
Best Episode of the Season, Except Maybe for the Finale
28 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Why the aggregate 7.8 rating for this episode? It clearly brings the funny, while many of Season 9's other offerings drag. Bravo to the zany adventures of Dwight, Stanley, and Fart, who remind me of The Three Stooges, but who are much funnier. Angela's fall off the cliff continues to amuse. I love Paul Feig's part and the dose of Roseanne at her sarcastic best. I also would enjoy a dose of Plop and Creed, and then this episode might have been one of the funniest of all time for The Office. I would enjoy even less of Andy and Jam, both of whose storylines are dragging. Stanley stabbing himself with the blow dart is one of the funniest twists in all of comedic television.
So bad it's good
10 October 2023
Everybody on staff at the show must have already flown the coop to new jobs because, wow, so bad! As a fanatical fan of this marvelous series, it's actually kind of fun how they went so low. The horrible wigs had to be intentional. Like, "We're outta here! Screw it!" The plot was just so-so and really kind of all over the place, especially considering the visual conceit that probably started off as their focus. If you're a true fan, don't dismiss this episode; instead, appreciate it for the potential drinking game that it is. And have everyone vote for their favorite wig. Mine is Roz's wig mid-way through the episode. It's like she was someone else entirely. Of course, then there's Kenny's, which is truly awesome.
Even If You Don't Like Science Fiction, This Is Fun!
17 August 2023
As a cultural touchstone, TNG and, in particular this episode, were THE water cooler talk at my office during the original run. "Resistance is futile" is still one of my favorite sayings. I was in my twenties when it first aired; now in my early sixties, I feel sad when younger generations don't understand favorite paraphrases such as, "They were Borg'd." And I do say things like that. Everyone should "engage" in this series, second in importance only to the original series. Both series were helmed by the visionary Gene Rodenberry. Science fiction is not my preferred entertainment genre, but this series and this episode are so worthy!
Horrible
15 August 2023
I wish I knew how to delete this episode from my seven season collection. I am home bound and very ill, and I have fought and done everything I can to get better. Despite circumstances, I live as much as possible by doing good works or having what fun I can. This episode has no redeaming value for me and is actually quite offensive. I mean, it certainly reflects life for some. Old people, even when they can walk, talk, live alone, and have some fun, often think they're the only one in the room suffering. I think that as we age, we do become more self-centered. It's probably my own circumstances that make this episode so distasteful to me, but I can't even stand the guest actress's voice.
Disturbing Yet So Funny
2 August 2023
By Season 7, the genius of Seasons 3-5 had degenerated quite a bit so that I was no longer a regular viewer. Roseanne was clearly on an angry ride and couldn't quite swing the light humor that mitigated the serious subjects. This episode is a nice exception. DJ's aggressive girlfriend is just hysterical, yet her aggression is pretty disturbing. I can't quite reconcile laughing so hard at abuse like that. I guess that's what's meant by a guilty pleasure. In this mostly funny episode, you also get a delightful dose of Nineties Ellen. Worth a watch just for the line: "Who gets drunk and cuts this family's hair?"
Shameful
28 June 2023
I suspect that a show is running out of ideas when the fat suits come out. This show is usually catty and full of slapstick, and that usually works, because: if we're lucky, we look like the three ladies, which means that they can take the constant jabs about being shallow and loose; and if we're lucky, we grow old, so the constants jabs at Elka feel acceptable. But making fun of people who are already easy targets in society is lazy and.cruel. Even the sweet segment between Joy and her rival/lover doesn't mitigate that this episode is indefensible. It's not funny, just pathetic. Everyone involved in this one should be embarrassed.
Pleasant and Definitely Seventies
20 June 2023
I was 15 years old when this episode first aired, but I don't think I saw it then. The Seventies were kind of a racy time and TLB often reflected that fact, but this episode was one of TLB's sweeter and less silly ones. A few problems that reveal the limitations of the times: 1) assuming nurses are women and doctors are men; 2) how the nurse thanks Doc--yikes! 3) the cocaine-skinny bods in bikinis and short shorts, but thankfully before boob jobs; and 4) the previous reviewer's lack of pop-culture awareness in 1978. Donny and Marie were huge at the time thanks to their eponymous variety show. I knew and loved the inimitable Joe E Ross voice from the cartoon The Hair Bear Bunch, so it was a bonus to see him. He should have gotten top billing. Overall, a pleasant journey down memory lane.
Richard Deacon Performs a Jig
20 May 2023
While channel surfing, I got pulled into this episode, first by all the wonderful Seventies character actors: Richard Deacon, Liam Dunn, David Birney, and Norman Fell. I wanted to see what David Birney and Norman Fell were up to. Then, as Mac is investigating, he meets with Richard Deacon at a strip joint just after Mr. Deacon finishes his terrible comic set on stage and dances off doing a jig. The episode is worth a watch just for that treasure. The only difficulty for me was not groaning every time that ugly wedding dress made an appearance. Susan Saint James was mercifully mostly absent. (I like her, but not in McMillan.) The whole thing is fun, illogical and unlikely, so just sit back and enjoy.
Niles Shines
20 May 2023
All the quipping and punning are hilarious in this sendup of folks who take academic competition too seriously. And Niles is in top neurotic form. This episode makes me laugh as much as The Ski Lodge. Frasier's son Freddie is in town for a Spelling Bee and is coached by his Uncle Niles, who froze and therefore blew his own championship chances years before. A complication prevents Freddie from winning the championship that should be his, and the fallout results in the final insult from Freddie's rival's father that Freddie will have to settle for a state college. Niles is the anti-hero and hero here, leading to a happy ending for the Cranes.
American Auto
(2021–2023)
Deserves at least a 7 aggregate rating
10 May 2023
I watched all the episodes on Peacock and then watched them all again. I think it's a great sendup of C-suite politics. And it makes me laugh. Ana Gastayer is a genius at bouncing among hyper-awareness, obliviousness, and narcissism, and the other characters are all likeable. I never understood how The Office could make me like such loathsome characters, which made a show I love somewhat dissatisfying. This show starts with likeable characters. My favorite character is the put-upon product developer, who embodies the quiet desperation and frustration of most corporate employees. At my corporation, we referred to our desire to stay on the job as "golden handcuffs"-salary and benefits too good to jump ship and work that's sometimes surprisingly fulfilling. Keep it on the air, please!
The Drew Barrymore Show
(2020– )
Never Again
9 December 2022
Update:
I changed my rating from 8 to 1 because of a story today about "throuples." Beyond stupid and utterly revolting. Whoever thought this topic needed to be covered must also think the Kardashians need more exposure. This is a daytime talk show broadcast into people's living rooms. Whatever Hollywood brains thought this was a good idea should be fired. Drew, you lost a loyal viewer.
Previous review: I watch the show fairly regularly as part of my mid-day routine. The main reason I watch is her co-host, Ross Matthews, who is both witty and relatable. I admire Drew so much as a person that I can tolerate the annoyances: her constant hair flipping, crying, and worshipping her actor friends like they discovered the cure for cancer. It's a lot, but what I get from the show that makes it worth the annoyances is an hour of kindness and goodness, and that's worth watching. And sometimes dogs. I wish they would feature dogs for adoption every day. I'm in animal rescue and there is such a need to highlight responsible ownership. Drew is a big supporter.
Previous review: I watch the show fairly regularly as part of my mid-day routine. The main reason I watch is her co-host, Ross Matthews, who is both witty and relatable. I admire Drew so much as a person that I can tolerate the annoyances: her constant hair flipping, crying, and worshipping her actor friends like they discovered the cure for cancer. It's a lot, but what I get from the show that makes it worth the annoyances is an hour of kindness and goodness, and that's worth watching. And sometimes dogs. I wish they would feature dogs for adoption every day. I'm in animal rescue and there is such a need to highlight responsible ownership. Drew is a big supporter.
The Mindy Project
(2012–2017)
Stands on the Shoulders of Mary Tyler Moore, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler
4 December 2022
The Mindy Project is pure pleasure with no guilt at all. I enjoy re-watching most of the episodes (the Ben episodes kinda bore me). Mindy's character celebrates intelligence that comes wrapped in a fluffy package, which I would argue is a true representation of third-wave feminist idealism presented in a lush comedic fantasy. Despite Mindy's sometimes overplayed vacuousness, it has a moral center in its feminism. With its moral center, it demands more from the viewer than a Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers romantic comedy, but the rewards are greater, too. It's funnier and smarter. Adding to the pleasure are beautiful sets, no real money worries, plenty of handsome men, great clothes, a gorgeous New York skyline, and great music. Danny is her Darcy/Rochester/Hubbell, who is fun and flawed.
Just Plain Fun
18 October 2021
As a kid in the Seventies, it was bedtime after Disney when the Sunday Mystery Movie started. I remember the show beginning with eerie (to me) opening music and a man approaching the audience with a searchlight. Well, 50 years later I get to watch on IMDB whenever I want. This particular episode was an especially fun Columbo for me, employing all the Columbo tropes except that they occur on the sea. Mrs. Columbo should make an appearance on a small ship, but she never does. Robert Vaughan is one of Columbo's great villains and his villain here is cold-blooded, calculating, and over-confident. But the best parts are the Seventies throwbacks: the nurse who smokes, Dr. Bombay, and Dean Stockwell's goofy even for the Seventies hair. A nice escape-especially for us oldsters.
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