Jennifer's season mega-wrap-up: Questionable

The Office: I was really starting to almost dislike this show this season, which was sad considering that a year or two ago I would have named it as my favorite sitcom. I don't know, sometime over the season I just started to be really not amused by it anymore. Michael's just been getting harder and harder to tolerate. I know he's always been cringe-inducing, but I mean, getting obsessed with a chair model? Really? And I did kind of like that Jan spiraled into craziness but I think they took that too far too. The dinner party episode was almost unbearable for me.

And while I'm glad that Pam and Jim are together, I've been kind of perplexed by the storylines they were getting near the end there. I mean, I guess the episode where they lock everyone out of the building and in the parking lot was meant to kind of say, hey, they do stupid things too, but it just wasn't entertaining to me. And having people make fun of Pam for an entire episode because of her glasses? Having Ryan give Jim a warning about his performance and then having to watch Jim desperately try to win a client on a golf trip?

And speaking of Ryan, how awkward was it to see him being basically a cokehead in the episode where Michael and Dwight go to New York? And then get arrested for fraud?

I do have to admit that the finale did kind of make up for things though. Amy Ryan was a nice addition as the new HR rep (though I am going to miss Toby) and the running gag with her thinking that Kevin's slow was kind of genius. I'm hoping this means things will get back on the right track next season.

Brothers & Sisters: I've pretty much known all along that they weren't going to let the relationship between Justin and Rebecca just stay uncomplicated. I did think that it was totally awkward having them pretty much be brother and sister one day and then jump suddenly to kissing the next, but I think I'm less bothered by all that than them bringing up the possibility of another illegitimate Walker out there. Do we really have to go through this again?

And I'm not such a fan of the new development with Ojai and Holly being the new CEO. Poor Sarah just can't catch a break...after all the terrible divorce stuff and all, now she has to deal with this?

There are still good things though. For one, I'm really glad that Kevin and Scotty had their commitment ceremony too. They're so cute and perfect together and it made for a nice spot of happiness amidst all the other angst. And I'm kind of glad they've sort of pushed Tommy and Julia's problems to the side a bit (sadly I think they're just better as background characters). I'm a bit relieved that they kind of quickly moved to Robert losing the nomination because I didn't find him to be that believable as a candidate anyway and I was tired of all the campaign stuff. The fertility stuff with him and Kitty is a little boring too but at least their story ended on a happy note for the season too.

Reaper: FINALLY Andi and Sam get together and he tells her the truth. It took way too long to get to this point, I think, which is kind of still the problem with the show...its pacing. The post-strike episodes were really big improvement though, especially with the addition of Steve and Tony (the always awesome Michael Ian Black and Ken Marino) and with the suspicion that Sam's not even human. And Sock continued to crack me up every time. I'm glad it's coming back for a second season and I hope it continues on this upward path.

Bones: I've always had trouble keeping up with this show because Fox seems to love switching its timeslot back and forth and putting it on hiatus and bringing it back, etc. But because it's on Hulu I've actually watched this entire season and I was really enjoying it. I liked the addition of John Francis Daley as Sweets, the psychologist, and I liked the ongoing Gormogon mystery too...that is, until they decided to reveal Zack as the apprentice killer. Our Zack! I don't know, I guess they tried to explain how Zack could have justified the murders to himself but I don't really buy it. I'm kind of sad thinking about what the show's going to be like without him. The Zack-Hodgins dynamic was one of my favorite things. Who's going to do the experiments with Hodgins now??

Oh, and the fake-out with Booth's funeral was just terrible.

Checking in with the new fall shows

I've been swamped with work and school these past couple of weeks, and with a week or more of TV backed up on my DVR, it's interesting to see which of the new shows I find myself wanting to watch first. So far, there have only been two shows that I've been watching live or almost immediately (Gossip Girl and Pushing Daisies), a couple more that I've been genuinely enjoying, and the rest are either still on trial or I've already given up. Here's the rundown, from best to worst:

1. Gossip Girl: I can't help it, I LOVE this show. Blair and Serena are just so perfectly cast and are really believable as those best friends that really are close but find themselves alternately warring and hugging. Also really loving Dan and Jenny and even boring Nate and jerky Chuck are watchable. The little romance with Dan and Serena has been cute, but I'm not getting too attached...at least based on the books, though I don't know how closely they're going to following them. I'm totally addicted.

2. Pushing Daisies: I actually didn't really like the second episode...I thought the whole dandelion car thing was just too much and it all looked a little too Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But this week's episode really won me over. The Ned-Chuck romance is so sweet and I love all the funny ways they're getting around the touching thing: holding hands with gloves, kissing through plastic wrap...I'm also glad that Ned came clean with Chuck about some of the details of his power. I was a bit worried they'd drag that out too long, though of course he's still yet to tell her about her father. I figure that's a sweeps type storyline. I'm also totally loving Emerson Cod. He knits! And the Pooh thing from this week was genius. Chi McBride's done a lot of dramatic stuff and I never expected him to be so funny, but he's really stealing a lot of scenes here.

3. Kid Nation: Um yeah. I don't think it's really getting good ratings at all but for some reason I just really love this show. Obviously I'm susceptible to getting hooked on reality but I find it to be really entertaining. A lot of it is extremely contrived but the kids are an interesting mix...much more diverse than any other reality show.

4. Dirty Sexy Money: I think what I like about this show is that every character was introduced really well. All the wild and crazy things rich people do are really entertaining, and Peter Krause does a great job keeping it down to earth a bit. There's a little bit of a mystery going on too. It's just really a lot of fun and I hope they keep it up.

5. Aliens in America: The only sitcom on my list (though I've yet to check out Samantha Who? about which I've heard some good things). It's short, sweet, and satisfying, and all the characters are really likable.

6. Reaper: This is where things start to get a little questionable. I did think the pilot was funny but the next couple of episodes had me a little bored, and honestly, they kind of remind of all the bad episodes of Buffy. I mean, even the bad episodes of Buffy had good things about them, and it's the same here, but...yeah. They're still kind of bad. Sock continues to amuse, Sam's pretty easy to root for, and Ray Wise as the Devil is perfect, but I wonder if maybe they need a little bit more of an ongoing storyline.

7. Chuck: I'm a couple of weeks behind with this one, and maybe it's gotten better but I kind of it's just a little too silly at times. And I don't know, Chuck just seems a little too Seth Cohen 2.0 for me. I guess his dorkiness is kind of endearing but I found myself thinking he was just lame a lot of the time. Adam Baldwin is pretty hilarious though. It's not all working for me yet but I'm willing to give it a few more weeks.

8. Journeyman: Really makes absolutely no sense but I kind of like Dan, the main character. I'm kind of afraid to get too into though because it sort of seems doomed for early cancellation.

9. Bionic Woman: I want to like this show, I really do, but it's just so heavy and humorless. And Jamie still has no personality. I guess it's the butt-kicking babe thing but I can't help comparing Jamie to Sydney Bristow. Sydney might have gotten a little cold as the series progressed, but she kind of instantly made you care about her. Jamie's just...blah. I'm still liking Sarah Corvus and Jae though. Oh, but was I like not paying attention during the pilot and Will is already dead? That's maybe a plus because I thought he was annoying. I'm trying to stick it out, really, but it's getting tough.

Off the DVR: Moonlight (boring), Cane (boring), Private Practice (bad/uninteresting), K-Ville (uninterested), Life (boring), Big Bang Theory (uninterested), Big Shots (stupid).

Pilot reviews part 5: Journeyman and Reaper

For some reason or another I hadn't been expecting to like Journeyman at all. I guess it just seemed kind of vague and another weak sci-fi attempt by a major network. And um, it also might have had something to do with Gretchen Egolf, who I seriously despised back when she was on Roswell playing that awful Vanessa Whitaker. (I know, I know, I need to stop judging actors based on one bad role.)

But you know, I found myself really liking this pilot. I mean, it was pretty confusing and a lot of things make no sense, but it is a time travel show and I think you can kind of make up your own rules for these kind of things. The beginning of the episode was a little crazy because you barely find out who this guy is before he inexplicably starts time-traveling. And at first I thought Dan, played by Kevin McKidd, was kind of bland, but I found myself kind of liking and caring about him by the end.

There's a bit of complicated romance thing going as well...Dan in the present is married (to his brother's ex-girlfriend?) with a young son, but before that was engaged to Livia, who's now dead. Dan figures out that he's supposed to help someone during these little "trips" as he calls them, but he's always crossing paths with Livia as well. And one encounter is especially strange, as it seems to be a time-traveling Livia as well. I don't know, I'm intrigued, so I'm definitely going to stick it out for a few episodes at least.


I kind of had the exact opposite thing with Reaper; I was pretty sure I was going to like it. And I did. It kind of reminds me a little bit of the good old days of the WB when their schedule was chock-full of teen sci-fi with Buffy and Angel and Roswell and Charmed and such. The pilot was directed by Kevin Smith, and it really shows...there's a lot to like here.

The concept of the show is pretty silly...on his 21st birthday, Sam learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born and now he has to work for the devil sending escaped souls back to hell. Sam (Bret Harrison) is yet another one of this season's lovable slackers who works at a megastore (this time, a Home Depot clone called the Work Bench), but it's almost not his fault. His parents, fearful of his inevitable fate, have been way too easy on him (he quit college because it made him sleepy), so he's been kind of a wimp his entire life. So in a way this new job is finally giving him some purpose and confidence. Like to go after Andi, the cute girl at work (played by Missy Peregrym). Yeah, we kind of all know where this is going.

But this show does have two really great things going for it: Ray Wise and Tyler Labine. Ray Wise is kind of brilliant as the devil, playing him with a big, slightly creepy smile and a kind of quirky sense of humor. And Tyler Labine (who I remember from back on Breaker High, the most ridiculous teen show that's ever existed but that also produced Ryan Gosling) is Sock, Sam's wacky coworker. And Valarie Rae Miller's in the cast too, who's a welcome face since I haven't her seen in anything since Dark Angel.

A lot of people have been comparing this to Chuck, but I don't think that's really a bad thing. The characters and tone of the shows are pretty similar, but Chuck has the spy thing and Reaper has the supernatural thing. I'm not sure that either of them is really going to be appointment TV but they're fun and for now that's good enough.