In what seems to be becoming a tradition for me, this post is waaaaaaaay late. I suppose a new years resolution should be to be better about getting my posts out on time. We'll see how well that goes. Here are my (brief due to lateness) thoughts from NBC lineup from a week and a half ago!
Community - "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism"
This show loves to explore its characters' dynamics and this episode was one the best outings in that front with Jeff and Shirley. Their shared history may be slightly contrived, but I think in this case it adds weight to future interactions. Their bonding over the foosball competition and Shirley's dark side coming out made for a great showcase for Yvette Nicole Brown. Nick Kroll was used effectively as the german antagonist (after being The Douche on Parks and Rec, how long before he shows up on The Office?), I especially loved his human foosball figure gag. The anime sequence was just flat out amazing. The other half of the episode, while not a strong, was fun. Troy's reactions to Annie's underhandedness were priceless. Annie trying on her Batman voice was good, and it's always nice when Abed breaks out the Batman costume.
Parks and Recreation - "The Trial of Leslie Knope"
As per usual, great episode. Everyone coming to Leslie's aid in her time of need was just wonderful, but the resolution of the trial was so heartwarming. They even managed to make an extremely sappy scene funny by having the words come out of the old lady stenographer's mouth. Each witness was like a series of funny vignettes, my favorite being Tammy II's. The fact that she only showed up to mess with Leslie was true to character, but hilariously revealed when Chris reminds her that she is under oath and will be fired if she lies. Chris was also used effectively in his relentless pursuit to find wrong while hating every minute of it (in his strange upbeat way) because he likes Leslie. I also applaud the fact that the bribing of the worker at Li'l Sebastian's funeral was brought back up because that really was them doing wrong to cover their tracks.
The Office - "Mrs. California"
Finally, a good episode of The Office. Putting Andy in between the two Californias worked very well for his character and his need to keep everyone happy. Robert running in quickly to yell threw the window not to hire his wife was fun, but then everything was taken to another level when he kept insisting Andy could find something for his wife even though Andy was giving perfectly reasonable excuses not to. Andy can't not do what the boss says, but the boss kept giving him conflicting orders. His exasperations at trying to work things out was nicely played by Ed Helms. Jim trying desperately not to get involved was a nice touch, too. The secondary story of Dwight starting a gym was weird, even by Dwight standards. It was, however, good for the character development that Darryl has been going through this year. I initially didn't like what they did with him and his ex-wife earlier in the season, but I like that it's now leading to him trying something with warehouse worker Val.
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