The Funniest Thing I Saw All Week Award: Better Off Ted
(Episode 112: Jabberwocky and 113: Secrets and Lives)
(by Carlytron)
This week we were treated to not one but TWO episodes of Better Off Ted, and they did not disappoint. In the first installment, Ted lies to Linda about Veridian’s green initiatives and lets her create a top secret roof garden. Ted’s sneakiness leads him to then trick the entire company into believing that Ted’s putting a ton of money into some project called Jabberwocky, which he made up. Veronica plans for them to present Jabberwocky to the company, so Ted has to come clean… and then they have to do the presentation, which was the greatest thing ever:
I know, right? Ok so then at the end of the first episode Ted and Linda are tooootally about to kiss up in her dreamy roof garden but they’re interrupted by my favorite nerds (since Buffy, at least), Lem and Phil. But that sets us up nicely for our second installment, which is also the season finale (sad face). So remember before the show premiered, like months ago, and Portia was on every talk show promoting it, including Ellen’s? Did anyone see the clip they showed on one of the shows where Veronica was a magician’s assistant? Yeah, so we waited all season for this moment:
Seriously? I love this show. Using some fancy search engine technology the team at Veridian finds out about Veronica’s secret life as an assistant to Mordor the Unforgiving, a magician in Vegas. Veronica is in love with him and flies to Vegas every weekend to be in his show. But once her secret is out in the open she quits! Mordor is sad and after some convincing from Ted, she goes back to him in the end. In other news, Linda decides to move in with her boyfriend and in order to get her mind off of Ted she gets her friend to go on a date with him. Naturally, everything starts falling apart: Ted’s daughter Rose tells Ted to date Linda, Linda’s friend calls her out on her Ted obsession, and Linda finally breaks up with her boyfriend. Then Ted shows up with flowers! And she’s got hearts for eyes! And he tells her he’s ready to date! And… he asks to see her friend again. Oh, brother.
I’m happy this was already renewed for a second season, though the finale did seem to end in a way that makes me think that they shot it before they knew if it was definitely renewed or not. Had it not been renewed, it seemed wrapped-up enough to be somewhat satisfying (though we’d be left wondering if Ted and Linda ever get together), but since we know it’s renewed we are excited and hoping to see more of Mordor when the show returns.
The Talk Show as Reality Show as Sitcom Award: My Life on the D-List (Finale!)
(by Intern Jess)
Season finale time! Kathy Griffin is getting a star on the Hollywood Palm Springs Walk of Fame. Suzanne Somers (come on knock on my door) invites Team Griffin over for a dinner party in Kathy’s honor, though threatens punishment if Kathy brings her diet coke. In the end Suzanne surprises Kathy at the actual star ceremony and even gets Barry Manilow to show up. This was probably the best season of D-List and I’ve realized it’s no longer a reality show. It has somehow morphed into probs the most entertaining talk show of all time (OK, aside from Rosie on The View) [“And Chelsea Lately, natch.” – Carlytron].
“I’m not even going to support the Walk of Fame anymore. First of all, I’m gonna go piss on it. I’m gonna go to somebody’s star, probably Seacrest, and I’m gonna go have my period on it. And it’s gonna be a heavy flow day! Yeah. By the way, it’s probably comments like that that got me rejected.” – Kathy, on finding out she was rejected from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Most Tortured Man on TV Award: Mad Men (Episode 301: Out of Town)
(by Crystal)
Mad Men premiered this week and it seems not much has changed at Sterling Cooper over the break, the place is still brimming with undesirable personalities that I love to hate. Joan’s still the queen bee, Roger Sterling is still a silver fox and Pete Campbell is still an obnoxious twat.
Don Draper is still the most tortured man on TV. Don’s wife Betty is pregnant and it’s been giving Don some disturbing Whitman family flashbacks to his happy childhood. They reflect on their family, with Betty sneering that their daughter Sally needs start acting proper because “[She’s] taken to your tools like a little lesbian.”
Over on Madison Avenue, Pete and Ken are both promoted to Head of Accounts. Neither boys realise they’ll be sharing the job title, which amps up the level of smug in the episode to 11. And on a plane to Baltimore, Don and Salvatore chat up a stewardess who invites them out for dinner and a “hoot and a half.” Don tells her “I keep going a lot of places and ending up somewhere I’ve already been” likely referring to every bedroom in NY. Don casually mentions it’s his birthday and the stewardess disrobes.
Meanwhile in Salvatore the closeted homosexual art director’s hotel room, a bellhop arrives to assist with the AC but it turns out he’d rather assist with Sal’s belt buckle. That’s when the hotel fire alarm goes off, robbing Sal of his first ever man on man experience. Don finds out. The next day during a client pitch, Sal expresses himself via some Balzac [“our worst fears lie in anticipation.”] Don volleys back – also in the context of work – using “limit your exposure” as a message to Sal that he should stay in the closet. The last half of this episode was extremely well written, I think this is going to be an amazing season.
Next: Drop Dead Diva, Toddlers and Tiaras, and Tinkerbell’s Number One Feeling: Intervention
Pages: 1 2 3 4See entire article on one page
omg 3 episodes of True Blood left—**biting finger nails** How is going to cliff hang? I don’t think I can wait until next summer! GAH! Will have to be sated by Food Network shows and last season of LOST, Heroes, DollHouse. Maybe? idk
i do not know what i will do once it ends. i guess glee and dollhouse and like 157 other new fall shows will take its place and then i will become an insomniac.
HAUS OF DOLL FTW
e-e-e-e-e-e-ecstasy
i can’t wait to hear about summer heights high!
Me too! I’m very much looking forward to the SHH discussion, I have a lot of feelings about Ja’ime.
I had too many feelings to have time to adequately express them all this week, so I’m aiming for next week.
Lafayette is my number one feeling. I want maryann to go away already! or ya know…die.
—
summer heights high is probably one of the funniest things i’ve ever seen. cant wait!
<3 <3 lafayette!
I’m liking the ‘jump to’ thing, while missing the last few weeks of nurse jackie i was afraid I’d accidently read something haha – i love that show, and apparently its the only show my mom actually sits down and watches (which says alot- cuz she has no free time haha), she even rewatched them w. me – and my mom pointed out tht the whole scene with the iphone & the guy being dead, – that that is an example of how goood the writing on that show is – is this comment making sense im so tired , i don’t want to wait til next summer for it to come back!
i spoke too soon, the “jump to” links don’t seem to be working
OMG Nurse Jackie! OMG Weeds! Why is Showtime so insistent on making me feel very WTF? after every show they air?
–
Sidenote: I loved that you used LOLOMGWTFBBQ as it has been my favorite internet acronym since early 2007.
srsly, showtime is killing it.
i dont even remember who started LOLOMGWTFBBQ anymore but i <3 it.
i definitely teared up during sookie and jason’s sibling bonding scene, even though anna paquin’s performance tried to prevent me from doing so at every moment. i think i said “what the hell is this” more times than ever this episode, mostly during bill and sookie’s scenes. i tripleheart lafayette – i actually think he might be so awesome he’s ABOVE maryann’s manipulation. in which case it’s all going to be okay and maryann will be gone soon. with help from vampires, but not godric, *bloodtear*.
i totally agree about lafayette being above maryann’s manipulation due to his excessive awesomeness! IT’S VERY EXCITING!!
—
*bloodtear* > *tear*
Pingback: Unaired Mad Men » Current News Trends
#1: Love *bloodtear*, BCW. Brilliant. I like to make references to this show whenever possible. Case in point: I met a guy I will have to be working with once a month, and he was so intense and fierce and beautiful and mesmerizing, I left the meeting with him and said to my boss, “That guy was totally trying to Glamour us!”
#2: I. need. to. watch. Nurse. Jackie. DVD I guess?
#3: I watch T&T and I say in my head over and over, “God I hope my girl wants to play sports”, as well as, “I will never live in the midwest”. (no offense to the MW)
#4: Intervention was so sad. The scariest high to see has always been the heroine high for me. It’s one of the highs I have never experienced first hand, never wanted to even, but this ep should seal the deal for anyone thinking of experimenting. Those parents were such enablers…
***If you love mental illness as much as you love drug addiction (and as much as I love mental illness!) then I hope that you watch Hoarders after Intervention from now on. Holy. Lord. FASCINATING AND DISTURBING ALL AT ONCE.
#5: True Blood is the only show I am addicted to right now, but addiction is not a strong enough word! You got everything perfect, Laneia. Great recap! The Godric moment was so touching, the Jason/Sookie moment on the bed, not so much for me. I am waiting on the books from the library right now, cuz I hear they are way better than the show (but I wont give up on the show).
Did you hear that Evan Rachael Wood will be on next season? She starts at the end of this season and plays some Queen? Exciting or no?
In response to number 2: YES. Please watch Nurse Jackie. [If you don’t want to wait for it to come out on dvd, I can point you in the right direction. Just let me know!]
i can’t wait for evan rachael wood to start! she plays a lesbian vampire queen! shriek!
I’M ABOUT TO IMPOSE A SERIOUS *NO SPOILERS* RULE!!
hey the lesbian vampire queen thing is 1) public knowledge and 2) all i know, so no worries there!