NEW SHOW: 1600 Penn

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was, hands down, my number-one choice of the mid-season shows premiering. Unfortunately, it led to a LOT of disappointment in the pilot. I think that NBC saw that coming, too, as they really pushed the idea that the second and third episodes were funnier after the initial airing of the pilot. By the way, I was surprised to see that this episode was actually given a name - that's so rare for pilots! I think the biggest disappointment was that Skip became quite annoying very quickly. Despite how much I enjoy Josh Gad, having his character be a screw-up who manages to embody so many personality traits I loathe in just 22 minutes is disappointing. But, I hold out some hope for him. Emily, however, is almost a lost cause already. WHY make her so unlikeable? I could handle a "wicked stepmother" issue without concern, but the fact that she can't seem to handle herself in private OR in public is annoying.

My first thought on how to improve this series? Change it to an hour-long drama instead. But, then I have to remember that Josh Gad is a creator of this show, so that's not in the cards. Not to mention that you can't change a show from comedy to drama after it starts airing. I'm almost ready to abandon ship now, but because I put such faith in this series before it aired, I'll give it a few more episodes. But, I'm extremely curious - what did YOU think?

1600 Penn "Putting Out Fires" (S01E01): Skip, the oldest son of the President of the United States, and some friends set off fireworks in the lawn of some bullies. [haha, Skip's code name is "Meatball."] But, they fly right into the frat house and Skip gets in trouble. He'll have to record a fire safety video but isn't happy about doing so. [this was a funny scene, though!] He'll also be coming home after seven years of college (he's been three credits short of graduating for a year).

Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC

President DeSoto of Brazil visits alongside other Latin leaders, and the President hopes to get a majority on an issue. The Press Secretary suggests that President Gilchrist throw the game to make the Brazilian happy, but Skip rallies the crowd and the patriotic cheering convinces Gilchrist to persevere. When Skip tries to clarify things, he winds up hanging out with some of the leaders and winning them over. [what's the message here, that's he's not "useless" after all?]

The First Lady, Emily, talks to some young girls about math but begins to lash out when one girl asks why she's called "Trophy Wife." [annoying.] "Miss Perfect" is the stepmother of Skip, plus his younger siblings Becca, Marigold, and Xander. College-age Becca is newly pregnant, and after asking Skip for advice on breaking bad news, she winds up telling Emily after her stepmother says that Becca is too wound up and needs to "let loose a little." [ha!]

Marigold and Xander arrive home from school after fighting, and Emily and Becca butt heads when they go to get to the bottom of it. [yay! it's Benjamin Stockham from Sons of Tucson! I love him!] It turns out that both have crushes... and Marigold's is on Jessica, another thirteen-year-old girl. [does this push the envelope a little far, maybe?]

Teen Mom 2: Jenelle Moves, Kailyn is Alone, Leah & Jeremy, Chelsea Moves On

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Who airs a new episode on Christmas Eve that isn't even a holiday show? Apparently, Teen Mom 2 does. I was a bit surprised to see it show up on my DVR (complete with another edition of "A Closer Look"), but at least it showed progress for the ladies. Chelsea is finally buckling down to start a career, Jenelle has yet again moved out of her mother's house, Leah introduced her new beau to her family, and Kailyn has decided that she needs family, even if that means going to Texas to find it. I'm happy for Chelsea and Leah, but I'm not sure that Jenelle will do well living with Josh and I don't have the best feeling about Kailyn's cousin and half-sister becoming her confidants. But, for now, let's hope for the best!

Teen Mom 2 "A Leap of Faith" (S03E06):
Jenelle: She started her fall semester. She hasn't been taking her medication but isn't smoking, either. [you take the good with the bad.] Her mother tells her that she needs to keep up with her doctor's appointments for her bipolar disorder. Her friend, Marissa, sets her up with Josh, a drinker who has also been on probation in the past. [hahaha, another credit card thief!] She wants to spend a day with Jace at an aquarium, and invites Josh and Marissa as well. [why? her mother never lets her take Jace on an outing and she doesn't want the alone time?]

photo by MTV

It doesn't take Jenelle long to complain about her mom. Josh and Jenelle later go bowling. When Jenelle is in a bad mood, she's afraid that she needs more bipolar medication. [well, yeah.] She is tired and can't decide if she wants to take Jace to a painting place, so she decides not to. [she's kinda all over the place...]

Leah: She's still dating Jeremy and they make their relationship official. She tells him about what happened with Corey and then invites him to meet the girls. Meanwhile, Corey dated a girl for like three days before realizing that he's not ready for a relationship. [totally believable.] His mom tells him to stay away from the skinny, pretty girls so he can find someone with moral standards. [hahahaha!] He doesn't really want to get married again. [poor guy.] Leah tells Corey about Jeremy before someone else does. [probably a good idea.]

Kailyn: She tells Jo about how Jordan is seeing someone else and then decides to officially end things with Jordan. [but why over the phone??] He agrees but asks if Jo has anything to do with it. She cries to Jo about how Isaac will never know what it will be like to have his whole family together, but Jo says that he's reconciled with that. [I agree that must be difficult to come to terms with.]

Chelsea: She's been thinking about therapy, which her friends and mother think is a great idea. She worries about depression, as it runs in her family. We see part of her first session, where she talks about how her parents' divorce has really affected her and how she doesn't want Aubree to have awkward family gatherings throughout her life. [yeah, I often wonder how my skewed view of family relationships will affect my parenting because of my parents' situation.] Her therapist tells her to research "boundaries" and she realizes that part of her doesn't want to be over Adam. [duh.]

Teen Mom 2 "Building Blocks" (S03E07):
Chelsea: She doesn't think she needs to keep going to therapy because she wants to be "normal." [kiddo. there's no shame.] She also won't read books and thinks she can get over a guy on her own. [even though she just came to the realization that she doesn't want to be over Adam.] She takes Aubree for a manicure. [I'm leaving that alone.] She fails her math practice test but still decides that she needs to tour the beauty school for motivation. She has a friend who went there and he shows her around. He tells her that being on-time is really important, and then they talk to an admissions counselor. [I had a professor in college who locked the door ten seconds after class started every day. I loved it. This is the same professor who would take your phone if it rang and donate it to a battered women's shelter.] She needs to finish her GED, then she can take her entrance exam. [that's a lot to do in a month!] She cooks a meal for some friends. [she's seriously never made a meal before? Does her daughter eat nothing but junk?]  

Jenelle: Her boyfriend, Josh, offers her the chance to move-in with he and his mother. She's never lived with a boyfriend before, so she thinks about it. She figures that, even if they break up, being housemates could work. [I question this mindset. The only significant other I've ever lived with is my husband, but I couldn't imagine living with someone with whom I once had feelings.] She tells her mom about her plan, and she thinks it's a bit soon to move-in with a boyfriend but she feels better after meeting Josh and his mother, as well as seeing the house. Jenelle has been stressed so school isn't going too well. She's also still not back on her medication, but she plans to make an appointment soon. Jenelle thinks that it'll be nice for Jace to have a male figure around when he visits her. [let's see how well that works!]

Kailyn: She's really alone, but because she met some long-distance family when she was pregnant, she's thinking of heading to Texas to find something new. When she calls her cousin, she starts crying. [aww.] She just wants some family around, and she's happy that her cousin will let her visit.

Leah: She's very excited to take Jeremy to meet her family. [I thought it was awkward that she was so very enthusiastic about it!] Everyone kinda grills him, but her stepfather takes him aside and tells him that he better treat Leah right. Corey meets him in a parking lot and gets jealous, later texting Leah that he misses her and their family. [looks like Ali got new glasses.] Corey starts to wonder if they shouldn't have gotten divorced, and Leah isn't really sure what she wants to do. [that scene where Corey texted Leah that he missed her and their family looked extremely staged. why else would the camera be in there as she's laying down in bed?]

Teen Mom 2 "Closer Look" (Special): Jenelle isn't available, but the others talk about how they support her but still don't think she's ready to take custody of Jace. [I wonder where she was?] Chelsea doesn't know when she'll date again, as she's focusing on school, Aubree, and herself. She wants to open a spa with her friends, but not in South Dakota - somewhere else, though she can't imagine moving! [awkward!] Though Chelsea doesn't want to think about guys, Kailyn wants to be with someone patient, very unlike Jordan and Jo. Chelsea talks about how she wished she had finished school faster. [I thought that there was very little focus on Leah this time.]

Cake Boss: Rockettes, A Plane, A Hospital, A Wedding Cake

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

No totally unusual cakes in the most recent episodes, and not really any big drama, either. It's nice to see the family getting along and no sad moments (like Buddy's mother's condition progressing), but it makes for some boredom. I did like seeing more of Marissa than normal, but that's not enough. No disasters, no big pranks... these were episodes purely for the cake decorating, really. I hadn't realized how much I cared about the non-cake aspects of this show until now! What about you, how do these episodes differ for you?

Cake Boss "Buddy and the Rockettes" (S05E22): It's August and the Rockettes want a cake to announce their Christmas show. It's their 85th anniversary of performing in NYC, so the Carlo's gang does a marquee, the stage, a Christmas Tree on the side, and a line of dancers. [the music notes on the tree were cute!] Buddy tries to get a neon sign on there, but then the cake looks unbalanced and they have to add LEDs to the Christmas tree. [haha about "old school" and "Hoboken Style" being the same thing.]

A 16-year-old dreams of being a pilot (he previously wanted to be a professional soccer player but a bad accident took his leg) so his aunt and uncle get him a plane cake.

The bakery has a throwback Friday with German buttercake. Buddy's kids are in the bakery to help but cause a ruckus. Buddy has them watch A Christmas Story 2 for the kids in the conference room. [I didn't know there was a sequel.]

Cake Boss "Cut the Ribbon and the Cake!" (S05E23): A bride wants a fuchsia and grey wedding cake, but Mary and Buddy thinks that's a bad idea. The couple also wants some intricate details from the invitation to be on the cake, so Buddy enjoys the detailed piping and painting the design requires, plus he gets the grey and fuchsia to work together. [can't blame him for that not being his favorite part of the cake. also, the couple probably liked the peonies on there but I wasn't a big fan. and, Marissa went on the delivery and posted a photo if you're interested.]

Buddy, Grace, and Joey Skype with some of the doctors who helped Bartolina years ago, as they're opening a new hospital in Chicago and want a cake. It ends up being a replica of the hospital, featuring a firetruck room, an MRI machine, and a mural. But, the cake is too tall for all of the doors, so they have to take it off of the cart every time they go through a doorway. [that sucks.]

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/cake-boss/
buddys-sketchbook-season-5-part-2-pictures3.htm

Joey and Grace also recap Bartolina's health concerns, from epilepsy to possible cancer to brain surgery and more, including having part of her brain removed when she started having seizures as she got older. They've continued to see the same doctor, though he moved to Chicago when Bartolina was four years old. [wow. it's nice to put so much faith in someone, but that makes the visits much more expensive!] We also see Gabby and Buddy race on doing borders, and he creams her.

Christmas Episode Round-Up: The New Normal, The Middle, The Neighbors, Guys with Kids, Suburgatory, The Big Bang Theory, Last Man Standing, 2 Broke Girls

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The networks really seemed to spread out their holiday episodes this year... I think it ended up being a three-week window or something (perhaps even longer if you're a Family Guy fan!), which surprised me a bit. Because of the length, I'll jump right into some overviews and then the recaps with remarks.

The New Normal: Bryan gets Jane a job; Bryan and David realize that they're stressing over the baby.

Go On: Ryan, Anne, and Steven try to miss the group's holiday party, but when Lauren panics over getting engaged, they rush back.

The Middle: Brick is in a Christmas play, Sue bakes cookies, Frankie gets a holiday job, Mike fights with Rusty, and Axl enjoys a bachelor pad in the garage.

The Neighbors: Marty and Debbie decide to go to Hawaii for Christmas, but Larry ruins that idea by opening all of their presents and ruining them.

Guys with Kids: Sheila and Chris pass back and forth her engagement ring. Emily plans a romantic evening for Gary and Marny, who decide to just drink instead.

Suburgatory: Tessa doesn't love spending Christmas with her mom, and Ryan finds out that he's adopted.

The Big Bang Theory:The girls try to get Raj a girlfriend while Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Stuart play a holiday version of Dungeons & Dragons.

Last Man Standing: Mike tries to get the girls to all take trips for Christmas to give Vanessa simple holiday, but then has to get them all to stay.

2 Broke Girls: Max and Caroline resort to drastic measure to make rent during the holidays.

The New Normal "Baby Proofing" (S01E11): David is over-eating because of stress, and Bryan is drinking. They confront one another but don't get anywhere. Then they hire a baby-proofer to round corners, add a baby-gate, anchor bookshelves, etc.

Neil Jacobs/NBC

Jane is back and Bryan invites her to accompany him to a Christmas party because David doesn't like them and is busy thinking of everything that could happen to the baby around the house. [people can get crazy.] Jane is afraid that she'll never be accepted and succeed in LA, so Bryan gets her a job interview. [odd little DUI checkpoint where Jane's gun is the problem.] The whole experience convinces Bryan to pour wine down the sink. Jane is told that she's old-fashioned but when she makes it clear that she knows things, she's hired. [guess she's back for the long term. boo.]

Go On "The World Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" (S01E11): [did anyone reference anything other than Jimmy V that week?? and why did they script Anne an f-word if they just bleep it out?] Fausta decorates the group room a little for Christmas but Lauren tells her that everything needs to be non-denominational. [boo.] The group holiday party will be at 8pm on December 21st, 2012, which is when Mr. K. thinks the world will end, thanks to the Mayans. [I'm kinda glad that some show decided to point out that craziness!]

Lauren is afraid that Wyatt may be ready to propose, so when Yolanda and Sonia see Wyatt at a jewelry store, they try to sabotage the proposal (tho they're mostly worried that Lauren won't have time for them anymore if she gets married). He sees right through them and mentions that he's going to pop the question at the party. [groups are not the best idea for this, guys!] Meanwhile, Ryan and Steven decide to go to Napa like old times, and Ryan decides to invite Anne along to take her mind off her graveyard issues (she's been going every single day). They'll miss the end-of-the-world party, but oh well. That is, until Sonia spills the beans to Lauren, who calls Ryan for advice. He reminisces about how Janie told him to get it together or she'd leave him. [that was kinda interesting... I should have expected it but I did not.] They then decide to rush back to LA, but by then Wyatt had already proposed in front of a snow machine, and Lauren accepted. ["Asian glow" is an enzyme thing? and how did they go from Napa to LA in just a few hours??] The episode ends with Ryan turning out the lights to when Mr. K. projected the world to end.]

Vivian Zink/NBC

The Middle "Christmas Help" (S04E09): Reverend TimTom asks Brick to be a wiseman in a play for kids, and Sue will bake the cookies for the concession stand. She calculates that she needs to bake 1200 cookies (20 cast members + 2 parents each + siblings + 1.5 grandparents + crew members + church people + 5% accidental crumblage) and gets to work right away. [this made me laugh SO HARD, guys. how did the Heck family have the money for ingredients to bake 100 dozen cookies?] Brick even gets an extra line to help cover for another wiseman and starts practicing his singing all over the place. Sue has tons of cute Santa cookies but none are selling, so she donates the bulk of them to TimTom's next project. Brick is awkward in the play, not paying attention during his lines and directing others. [but was kinda cute.] 

Frankie and Mike worry that they don't have a way to pay for Christmas presents, even with Frankie not signing her tuition check. [remind anyone of Roseanne?] She decides to get a job at a store to get a 30% discount to buy presents, but the discount doesn't count for 20 days, meaning she can't use it until Christmas Eve. [haha, figures!] She tries to get people to stay away from the items she wants to buy, then just starts hiding them around the store. [let me digress for a second... when we were in middle school, our science teacher would take us to the library for research, but you weren't allowed to check-out any books until the end of the day, because each period deserved to have a chance to access all of the same materials. so, if there was a book you really wanted for your project, you'd hide it within the library, then run there after final bell so you could grab it and check it out and make it to the bus. after a few rounds of this, though, the teacher caught on and we got a big lecture about being unfair to others, LoL!] When she tries to hide a basket of goodies on a tall shelf, someone moves the ladder while she's up there, trapping her for hours. She isn't even able to buy anything before the store closes, so they give the kids pictures of what they're getting and they utilize the post-holiday discount to load-up the next day. [which is a nice way to do things, not gonna lie.]

ABC/MICHAEL ANSELL

A third storyline going on has Mike storing some furniture for Rusty, only to later find out that it may have stolen it from a police officer with whom Rusty plays poker. [episodes with Rusty are extra weird.] After a couple of days, Axl decides to arrange it as a "pad," and even serves dinner and has a Christmas party in the garage. [reminded me a little bit of Greg Brady decorating the attic.] Mike decides that he's "done" with his brother, but TimTom encourages him to pray about it and he does. When everything gets returned, Axl is upset, but Mike realizes that he and Rusty should make up.

The Neighbors "Merry Crap-Mas" (S01E09): Marty and Debbie move wrapped presents to Larry and Jackie's home to keep them hidden. [Max gets an iPad? If Abby is six, he must only be like eight! and, Amber doesn't strike me as the snowboarding type.] When Amber wants her gifts early so that she can leave on a ski trip on Christmas Eve and Max wants to amend his list, Marty and Debbie decide to return the presents and take a trip. [whoa. I don't mind a trip in lieu of presents, but you have to plan that sort of shenanigan in advance!] The kids are unhappy about having been "nice" all year for nothing, but Debbie and Marty still go to book Hawaii. [haha, I loved the kids reacting like that.]

Meanwhile, Larry decides to open the gifts to see what they are, causing the Weavers to have no presents (they're ruined) and no trip (they can't return them for money). Larry then watches Christmas movies, trying to analyze how Santa travels the world in a single evening. [haha on Larry thinking an Etch-a-Sketch has Siri.] Abby tells Larry that Santa will fix things, so he decides to dress as Santa and make Dick his elf. [haha!] They get some strippers to be luau dancers, get a pig for roasting, and scrounge up a few presents for the kids, including an etch-a-sketch for Max. [I particularly liked the carolers!] The Weavers have no presents or tree on Christmas morning, but the Zabvronians are there! [I laughed at an elf/Tiny Tim mash-up.]

ABC/ERIC MCCANDLESS

Guys with Kids "Christmas" (S01E10): Chris and Sheila recap that they got divorced because they had a baby to fix their marriage and it didn't work. [omg that sucks.] Sheila decides to return her engagement ring at this point, but Chris doesn't want to take it, so they pass it through various means until Sheila finally admits to being responsible for their divorce because she didn't try to solve their problems. [did they change the baby who plays Ernie?]

Nick, Emily, and their kids arrive at Gary's dressed in Victorian clothes from taking their Christmas card photo.

Vivian Zink/NBC

Gary and Marny bought a new dishwasher for Christmas, which Emily finds offensive because it's not romantic and she doesn't want them to wind up like her parents. Emily decides to stage an intervention to help them spice-up their marriage, even planning an elaborate date for the couple which includes a carriage ride. They don't love it, though, so they skip to drinking. They head to Nick and Emily's, where Marny takes off her bra and puts it on their Christmas Tree, then she and Gary call the couple "Nemily" because they're too cute. [haha on "Nemily" being expanded to include anything annoying!] They go back to their place to be intimate while Nick and Emily are honest about their own relationship, realizing neither actually likes those annual carriage rides. The next morning, Marny and Gary try to put together the events of the previous night, and Emily and Nick show up to return the couple's four children.

Suburgatory "Krampus" (S02E07): Dalia misses her housekeeper and comes up with a plan to get her back. So, she decides to make a music video about how Carmen used to do all of her laundry to win her back. Of course, she's not having the greatest time working for Noah and Jill anyway, offending the mother by saying she doesn't understand her baby because she never spends time with him. [ouch! it must be extremely taxing on Carly Chaikin to hardly ever smile! Also, Wan'Er in the bridge was random. And, Dalia calling George "Daddy Altman" was odd.] Carmen sees the video and George arranges for Carmen to be in a box for Dalia to open on Christmas morning. [super odd.]

Tessa doesn't like how quick Chatswin converts to Christmas, and even George gives her the early gift of being able to spend time with her mother in Manhattan. Tessa and Alex's first hug is awkward, and Alex can't figure out how to appropriately treat her almost-adult daughter. [whoa to "Krampus is like Santa, but evil."] Tessa decides to leave the hotel in the middle of the night to head home to her dad's.

Someone at the photo shop tells Ryan that he was adopted, freaking him out to the point where he strips in the street and growls at his family's car. [Ryan is SO crazy!] Lisa tells Tessa that she spilled it to the photographer so it's her fault.

ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

Later, Malik and his family are driving down the road when he sees Ryan running around without a shirt and acting like a wild animal. [what the??] They put him in the trunk and Ryan tells Malik what happened. [Lisa's pajamas were super cute!] Lisa asks Tessa to talk to Ryan about it all, and she shares that your parents are who raised you, and she winds up kissing him. [ahhh! and, Eugene Goldfarb?]

The Big Bang Theory "The Santa Simulation" (S06E11): Leonard wants to spend Saturday night playing Dungeons & Dragons with the guys, and though Penny finds it amusing, Bernadette and Amy aren't thrilled. The three of them parade around in hot dresses to show what the guys are missing, then go out for drinks, inviting Raj when his character dies early. Raj buys the drinks because he likes to pamper ladies so much that he gives his dog foie gras. [seriously??] The girls decide to find him a woman, but it doesn't work out. Plus, Amy gets offended that he once fell for Bernadette and Penny but not her, though they are able to commiserate over how lonely and sad they are. [uh oh. I hope the writers know what they're doing here!]

At the D&D game, meanwhile... Leonard gets Sheldon a scroll (his third favorite method of after stone tablets and skywriting) that features a quest with a holiday theme. Sheldon sings "Good King Wenceslas" to get them through a room, and they later play "Jingle Bells" on handbells. [Sheldon insisting on doing all of the verses was funny.] We learn that Leonard had to leave a research paper for Santa to grade. ["C- was your gift" was harsh!] Plus, Sheldon admits that, when he was five, he went to the mall and told Santa he wants his grandfather back for Christmas. [awww.] So, he decides to let the game's Santa die, causing him a nightmare where Santa sends a canon after him. [kinda crazy, I know.] 

Eddy Chen/Warner Bros.

Last Man Standing "Putting a Hit on Christmas" (S02E07): [odd shot of living room into kitchen. and Vanessa's necklace is ugly.] Mike asks Ed for a an idea for Vanessa for Christmas, so he suggests to steal the dog, let Vanessa freak out, then bring it back and be a hero. [tale as old as time! plus, Go On kinda just did this.] Vanessa admits to Mike that she misses simple Christmases before the kids and grandchild, so he decides to use that charade with his children. Mike gets Kristin to take Boyd to Winnipeg to see his other grandparents, sends Mandy on that Cancun trip, and allows Eve to go with another family so Aspen. Of course, there are problems along the way that he has to solve, like reuniting one of Mandy's friends with her cheating boyfriend and firing Eve from her holiday job as a gift-wrapper at the store. But, Eve figures out what's going on and cuts a deal - no questions about her next report card, as she's getting a D in art. [I hope we focus on that again at some point!]

ABC/CARIN BAER

Mike gives Boyd a snowglobe that plays "Little Drummer Boy," Vanessa's favorite carol. This gets her sad over missing everyone, so Mike makes everyone cancel their plans, reuniting them and looking to be a hero. [Kristin's tickets were refundable and Mandy's are good for a year??] Vanessa even decides to invite Ryan's parents to Denver.

Elsewhere, Ed accidentally shoots a bald eagle and tells Mike and Kyle. Ed and Kyle go to dispose of it, but the bird ends up still being alive. [this was kinda just filler, I feel.]   

2 Broke Girls "And the High Holidays" (S02E12): The girls don't have the money to pay their shoppe's rent, but Caroline doesn't want Andy to know. [typical.] Max has been doing "cupcake runs" at 2am, selling munchies to druggies. [awesome that her dealer tips her off! his name is Kieffer. Teen Mom 2, much? also, um... I don't think that California passed the marijuana bill, so was this taped pre-election and not changed?] Caroline thinks maybe it'll work out because there aren't drugs in the cupcakes, but after she witnesses a meth bust, she changes her mind, worrying that she'll get in trouble just by knowing about someone using. [haha.] Caroline won't ask Andy for money, so the girls try to evade their landlord by going out the bathroom window. Well, it turns out that Max got a big bag of pot from her dealer as a Christmas present, and when it accidentally pours into a pot, she makes drug cupcakes after all. [holy cow!] Caroline continues to be paranoid as Sophie come over and devours some, but then they feed them to their other friends as well, for thanks when they give them the money to make rent. [Oleg ($100), Earl ($50), and Han ($350)]

Darren Michaels/Warner Bros.

Max makes some calls and the girls go to a party to unload the goodies at $15 apiece. But, surprise! Andy shows up at the party to smoke weed, and Caroline goes out the window. [crazy antics!]

Also, we see the girls hosting a children's party where the kids threw frosting everywhere.

Cupcakery Total: $100.00. [finally! back to being poor!]

HIMYM: Barney Proposes to Robin

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, if the title didn't say it all, I don't know what will. After a complicated shenanigan that had Ted sworn to secrecy that he wouldn't tell Robin that Barney was proposing to Patrice, Barney finally popped the question and Robin said "yes." I wasn't the biggest fan of it overall, but the description of the "play" was great. I totally had not put together that "the final page" referred to Barney's playbook, which he had recently burned, so I was in love with that aspect of the proposal. The more I think about the episode, however, the less I liked it, though... the Barney-Robin-Ted storyline was good, but the Ted-Marshall-Lily storyline was not. Between the trio returning to their alma mater to get screwed out of some money and the show's ever-present couple learning to party without their infant, I was left a bit bored. Obviously, all of this was to play second-fiddle to the proposal anyway, but I was disappointed in the filler of what could otherwise have been an iconic episode for the series. What did you think?

Ron P. Jaffe/Fox

How I Met Your Mother "The Final Page" (S08E11 & S08E12): Remember that time Barney stepped in front of a bus? Well, apparently he believed it was because he didn't follow a "jinx," so he now has been taking jinxing very seriously. When he accidentally falls for one after five years, the group decides that they're going to ride it out a bit, causing Barney days of pain. [who DOES that?? I laughed at the Destiny's Child part, tho!]

Ted decides to invite one of his college professors to the opening of his building because the guy didn't think Ted would ever make it as an architect. [kinda spiteful?]Ted receives the RSVP, but the professor doesn't recognize Ted's name, prompting him to drive to the college with Barney (still jinxed), Lily, and Marshall along for the ride. [who DOES this??] Marshall and Lily soon run into someone they were never able to shake, Darryl, who never left Wesleyan. They go back to his place to see his footbag inventory and begin thinking that he wants to kill them. Nope. In fact, he was about to offer them $100,000 for helping him come up with the idea. [hahaha!]

Barney decides to propose to Patrice and he gets Ted to un-jinx him by showing the ring. But Ted can't tell anyone, despite how much he wants to let Robin know. Barney then jinxes both Marshall and Lily. [hahaha!]

The night of the big building unveiling, Mickey is going to stay with the baby so Marshall and Lily can spend the night alone. [whoa to Marvin's lullaby!] Ted calls Marshall to tell him about Barney, and Marshall realizes that Ted might still want to end up with her. [omg. not THIS again!] Robin was supposed to accompany Ted to the unveiling, but he tells her about Barney's plans, and Ranjit drives them to the Worldwide News building instead. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lily get drunk as they miss their baby and eventually go home to be with Marvin. [I wouldn't wear it, but that blue dress looked great on Lily.]

Robin still tries to fight her feelings, saying that she can't keep making an @$$ of herself, but she goes to the rooftop to stop Barney anyway. She discovers a page to the playbook and reads it.

Step 1: Admit to yourself you still have feelings for the girl.
Step 2: Choose the completely wrong moment to make a move and get shot down on purpose.
Step 3: Agree that you two don't work and lock the door on the future, driving her crazy.
Step 4: Robin goes nuts.
Step 5: Find someone who annoys Robin most and ask for her help. Explain everything to Patrice.
Step 6: Check with doctor over broken ribs.
Step 7: Pretend to be dating Patrice.
Step 8: Wait until Robin breaks into your place to steal the Playbook.
Step 9: Have a big fight with Patrice over Playbook.
Step 10: Prove loyalty to Patrice by burning the Playbook, you don't need it anymore.
Step 11: Because your friends have no boundaries, you'll monitor the Intervention.
Step 12: Tell only Ted about the Patrice engagement plan.
Step 13: If Ted tells Robin, it means he's let go of her and given his blessing.
Step 14: Robin finds the secret, final play in the book, the last one that will ever be run.
Step 15: Robin realizes she's under mistletoe.
Step 16: Hope she says yes. 

Barney shows up after Step 15, and though she tells him that he can't lie to her and manipulate her, he gets down on one knee and proposes. [how would you have done it?]

Wedding Farm: Wrapping Up a New Series

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Will this series continue? I'm not sure. It partially depends on how many more brides will have their weddings at Roloff Farms, and how many of those will agree to be recorded. It also relies on whether the family will decide to keep up with that new enterprise - it seems to be much tougher than Matt originally anticipated. Still, it was nice to round things out with a nice episode focused on the family. It actually made me hopeful to get more updates on the kids - three out of four are now out of the home, so time's are a-changin'! What did you think of the series - should it continue?

Credit: TLC

Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm "Matt and Amy's 25th Anniversary" (S01E06): As per their usual, Matt and Amy need to compromise on the size and level of formality for their 25th anniversary celebration. [I was kinda put off that Matt didn't help much with the planning the first time!] While they're arguing and taking pictures and whatnot, Jeremy and Molly come home for a weekend to make a video for their parents. [was it really that short?] Amy tries on her wedding dress and wonders why she chose puffy sleeves. [haha!] We get a review of the couple's courtship: met in March, engaged within a few months, and married in September. [I laughed at how Matt talks about Amy's good cooking won him over.]

Matt comes up with a rap for Amy which Jacob and Zach think is ridiculous, but she finds it funny. Amy attaches tons of photos to some panels. Zach and Jeremy bake a cake but they don't wait for it to cool before frosting it. [I have to worry about people in their twenties who have never baked a cake... that's an easy lesson there.] Jeremy brings his girlfriend, Audrey, to the celebration, which Molly misses. After watching the video, they play the Newlywed Game. The kids give them a branding iron with their initials. [I thought that was expected, just as Zach pointed out they've been giving them to the newlywed couples all summer.] 

Celebration aside, Zach, Tori, Matt, Amy, and Jacob visited Molly for the weekend. [she is crazy fortunate to have a mixer at college, but how often will she really use it??] She shows them around and Matt reminisces. [lol, a baby on a tractor??]

FOX Scheduling Issues, December 2012

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last Friday, news broke that FOX would not be airing their holiday episodes for Family Guy and American Dad in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, CT. Rumors circulated about the gun violence contained in both "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" and "Minstrel Krampus," and the network chose to air reruns instead. Now, it seems that Family Guy's Christmas special will run after all, just a week later than originally planned. Look for the cartoon this Sunday, December 23rd, at 9pm ET/PT.

FOX

No word yet whether American Dad will air "Minstrel Krampus" this season or hold it over for the future. The amount of gun violence within has not been disclosed, though if you think back to "For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls," the sixth season Christmas episode, it could be a LOT. That feature included massive amounts of gunfire by machine guns and assault rifles.

Check back for any updates.

Next Great Baker: Someone is MIA and Someone Else is Hurt

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The main points in this episode include Garrett being MIA due to anxiety, the contestants being exhausted because they pull an all-nighter working, and the cakes being life-size replicas of famous comediennes. This season is also really ripe with the thoughts of the competitors, like Jess thinking that Melissa should have stayed over Paul. About Garrett: Buddy called Garrett's mother, who wasn't surprised to hear the news (which can't be a good sign). He asks her to talk to her son so he can consider letting him continue. Do you think Garrett will return to the competition? He was noticeably absent from the promos, but that could just be for audience suspense... About the all-nighter: I found this to be rather strange. The competitors have notes multiple times in their interviews and Twitters that they have been really strained throughout the season, so I'm beginning to wonder about the quality of life during Next Great Baker. About the cakes: I liked the challenge of the life-size cakes again, but without major problems (Jess's accident aside), they weren't as interesting. Moving on...

Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker "Cake Roast" (S03E04): 
Baker's Challenge: Designed to test their creativity, the bakers must use 100 Oreo cookies (because they've been around 100 years) to create as many quality desserts as possible in ninety minutes. The teams will be one bench versus the other and Frankie and Buddy are the judges.

Chris, Jen, Jess, Letty: Jen mentions that their team is at a disadvantage by having one fewer team member PLUS the other team has three pastry chefs (Ashley, Chad, and apparently Gretel-Ann). [yeah, but I feel that the teams are uneven quite often in the series so I'm not sure how much that changes. the experience point totally counts, though.] They make 13 varieties of dessert, based on several items that they use multiple ways, like truffles and cake. Jen makes the mousse, and her "dirt" is praised by Buddy. [I feel like they've made "dirt" on Cake Boss before, so why was Buddy asking so many questions?] Letty does cupcakes, whoopie pies, and Oreo-white-chocolate bark, which goes over well. Chris's butterscotch item is too artificial, though.  

Ashley, Chad, Gretel-Ann, Paul, Peter: Paul thinks they're going to win based on their team members. Well, they make 37 desserts and win. [I was surprised at what a large difference there was between the teams' outputs!] Chad makes a marshmallow cheesecake, bonbons, and a coconut macaroon with Oreo that Buddy finds creative. Ashley does an Oreo cookie cookie, an Oreo tart, and an Oreo bourbon ball, earning her the MVP prize - Oreos for her kitchen, which she chooses to share with her team. [nice.]

Elimination Challenge: Buddy assigns the teams but then allows Ashley to announce which she'd prefer to join. She goes with the team Paul isn't on, but Buddy says she has to go Paul's team because the "Next Great Baker" would be able to work with anyone. [ha! I would have liked to hear from the teammates about how they felt regarding Ashley's decisions.] The task at hand is to spend ten hours making a life-sized cake of a comedienne and deliver it to the Friar's Club, where the bakers will then be roasted by the ladies. [holy cow! that's rough!] Each baker receives a camera and has five minutes to photograph, interview, and measure the ladies: Carol Leifer (who plans to make it difficult by wearing a printed dress) and Judy Gould (whose height alone - 6'2" - poses a challenge). Ashley chooses Carol for her team because she'd be more challenging. [that's a teacher's pet answer if I ever heard one!] Oh, and an additional challenge? It's 8pm when they start!

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com

Team Carol (Chad, Paul, Letty, Peter, Ashley): None of them have done a life-sized cake of a human before, and Chad falls into the leadership role. [I could see that being pretty natural, but I'm surprised that there wasn't more friction between he and Ashley this episode after what's been happening so far. I mean, there was that moment when Chad moved Ashley's hand when time ran out, but I thought that she made that a bigger deal than was needed.] They need to support the cake up the middle, so Paul and Letty work on the structure, with Letty demanding extra supports and Paul just going with it. [that was really all we saw Letty do this competition... I want to know who worked on the hair!] Peter works on the hands - they take him a really long time, but he does not want to do bad work. [if this cake had lost, I wonder if he would have been sent packing because of that...] Paul carves the body and drapes the fondant dress. [I was really impressed with how that dress turned out!] Ashley does the head, which Letty says that the face is better than that on the other cake). Carol says the hands look like they belong to Thor, and her boobs should have been fluffier. But, she thought the boots were well done, and Buddy thinks the glasses, rings, dress were good though the face wasn't great.

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com

Team Judy (Chris, Jess, Jen, Gretel-Ann): They are sure to measure everything. [neither team having proportion issues was a little strange, but I guess the teams took care not to let that happen.] Jess works on the head but eventually asks Chris to take a look and he winds up changing the eyes and even re-covering the face. While they're working, a pipe from the structure falls and hits Jess in the head. [that looked like it hurt! Gretel-Ann must have thought so, too, if she was afraid that Jess would faint!] Jen takes control and applies pressure while Jess begs to stay. She does have to go to another room, but after she stops bleeding, Jess is allowed to return to the competition. [the little backstory she gave about taking up cake decorating because she wanted to do homemade cakes for her children was sweet but I think it had a little foreshadowing...] Gretel-Ann is proud of the cake when you consider that nobody on their team has done a life-sized cake in the past. Judy doesn't like her ankles or the way she's leaning forward (Buddy doesn't think that's a great idea, either), and the size of her nose and the length of her thighs also throw her, though the overall detail impresses her. [I would have liked to see the bakers making the necklace.] Buddy thought the cake was acceptable but it was the worse of the two.

Jen begins to cry but Jess comforts her. When asked, Jen says Gretel-Ann led the team and that Jess was probably the weakest link. Gretel-Ann thinks Chris should go home because he re-did the face and work was lost. [...that kinda signals both of them are struggling, no?] Chris and Jess defend themselves, but Jess breaks down and is sent home. In the box truck, she says that Garrett would have gone home if he had been there. [and if he had been on her team, etc...]

And, for anyone wondering, I will be doing more rounds of what I think about who should win, but not every week. The voting showed that the readers were pretty split over who should head home, except for Letty, who took almost half of all votes. Another poll will go up each week, so feel free to vote again, and think about leaving a comment below over how you chose your contestant!

Elementary: Cracking a Safe

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, am I the only one who wanted more about the identical twins who spent the night with Holmes? Not only was it something that I could totally see House Holmes doing, but with monozygotic siblings, the blood would have the same DNA, which I thought would be the answer to the murderer case. I had never even thought that bone marrow donations could do that! Totally makes me think twice about it, and I definitely want to double-check that regular blood donations can't do something like that! On the drama front, Holmes going to meet Watson's family and completely talking her up was intriguing, definitely not something I would see Dr. House doing! Plus, it begins to give us a window into how Watson decides to stick around after her companion time with Holmes ends. Still, her mother describing Joan's excitement about detective work just didn't quite work for me... almost too forced, maybe? what did you think?

Elementary "The Leviathan" (S01E10): A security guy comes to see Holmes about a bank vault (fancy, like seven figures!) that was cracked, as they need to find out how it was compromised. Holmes thinks that he'll be able to solve it in an hour or two, but he spends the entire day working on it, even slamming the safe repeatedly. Well, this type of safe has been robbed before, so Holmes talks to one of the original thieves (a famous lock-picker), offering him some consulting work while he's in jail. It's somewhat of a wild goose chase, though, as Holmes winds up locating a famous thief nobody has ever even seen, though the man had a stroke and could not have committed the latest robbery. Holmes and Watson take the guy's unique goods (Holmes figured out who the guy is based on his cufflinks being based on coins that were stolen), but Holmes takes a $50M painting home for a bit before turning it in. [holy cow!]

David M. Russell/CBS

A coffee order entered as evidence in the first trial sparks Holmes and he realizes that there's a code on it - an algorithm for the password to the safe! A jury member who was a software engineer had asked to see the "coffee order" multiple times, so Holmes wants to question him. But, he died that morning. [of course.] It was believed to be a suicide but Holmes thinks he was killed, as there were some diamonds in a vase recently. [the little things he picks up on are crazy!] Holmes finds the numbers of three people from jury duty in the guy's phone, and once he realizes that they have similar skills to the original four thieves, everything comes together. [why would Holmes give that speech to the original jurors to give their DNA? doesn't seem like that would be his job.] One juror doesn't show up, because he's dead. The blood found on the scene belongs to an army chaplain who is deployed in Kabul... who donated blood marrow to one of the jurors. [this plot is getting a little too twisted..]

Watson has brunch with her mother, whom she's trying to impress. [I really liked Holmes' deduction on that one!] Her brother comes to town, and Holmes shows up to dinner to meet her entire family. Her mother later comes to explain why she doesn't like her daughter's career: she wants her to be happy and being a sober companion doesn't seem to do that. So, her mother thinks that she should work as a detective. [this begs the question of whether Watson will listen to her mother or rebel from the idea now...] 

The Middle: An Anniversary Party & The End of a Book

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I really felt badly for Sue in this episode. She tried so hard to put together a nice party for her parents but nobody was cooperating. It might have helped if she had gone moved on from spaghetti or tried something different from the start, but I was sad at how doomed poor Frankie and Mike were. I wanted them to have a nice celebration, and though I was surprised that Mike had scraped together the money to get Frankie a new ring, I really had hoped that he'd care a little more about the smaller things - like returning her call. Not that I had expected him to truly appreciate her teasing him about seeing a cute guy at the bookstore, but later lying about even knowing that she called was a bit extreme. It was also cute to see Brick and Axl getting along, even if their "storytime" doesn't last.

The Middle "Twenty Years" (S04E10):  Frankie and Mike are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, so Sue wants to throw a party. Brick and Axl aren't interested in doing anything for it, but Sue puts them in charge of a skit. [her sounds are the weirdest!] Sue goes to Mike's dad to tell him about the party, hoping that he might share a story or two. He declines, but she perseveres in trying to make it a nice surprise for her parents. But, Frankie stumbles upon Sue's notebook so she and Mike feign surprise when the big night comes. Sue leads them to the kitchen (they had expected something larger), tries to get Brick to make some appetizers, then holds up some framed photos as a montage. [that might have been the saddest part, actually.] An hour later, the spaghetti doesn't work out, Sue blames Axl, and Mike saves the evening with his gift to Frankie. 

The other storyline takes place about the same week, with Brick dying to get a new book. Mike takes him to the bookstore to get it, and Brick tries to explain how it's the seventh in a series. Frankie walks by with a friend and calls Mike to say that she sees a cute guy but they witness him ignore the call. [that must have been mortifying in front of the neighbor!]

ABC/MICHAEL ANSELL

Frankie later confronts him about it but she gets more upset when he gets up in the middle of the night to cook a steak. [hahaha! that's something my husband would do.] Anyway, so Brick puts down his book and can't find it, blaming Axl, who has been upset that Brick won't return the guitar he won over a game of air hockey. Axl reads the last chapter and spoils the ending for his younger brother (even after Brick offers the guitar in an even trade), who becomes a zombie for a few days before eventually explaining that books are all he has and that he loves reading. Axl decides to come up with a new ending to the book and gives it to Brick as a gift (so he could have a new experience), but Axl sucks at writing. Nonetheless, Brick decides to read the first book in the series to his brother in an attempt to teach him to appreciate books. [awww.]

The Neighbors: A Celebration of Life

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Where was Reggie during this episode? I thought it was an odd episode to focus on Max, but, then again, it was an odd episode in general. I was hoping that the aliens-don't-eat-food storyling was going somewhere, but that ended up not happening. Also, did nobody put together that Juan died after seeing Jackie transform?? Larry deciding to resurrect the gardener was even stranger, so goodness knows what's going to happen if Juan ever returns from New Brunswick! I also thought that Marty questioning his own mortality was a bit rough in there, and Larry wondering what would happen to his children was very odd - Zabvronians don't have death at all? Are they invincible? I don't get it. what did you make of this episode?

The Neighbors "Juan of the Dead" (S01E10): Marty tries to get Larry to eat a bacon cheeseburger, but the Zabvronian isn't sure what would happen if he actually ate food. [hahaha.] After finally taking a bite, Larry declares that he doesn't like it. [I was half-expecting Larry to try improving upon the burger.] Debbie and Jackie go for a run, but the latter doesn't get tired or sore, upsetting the former.

When Juan, the neighborhood gardener, sees Jackie in Zabvronian form, he passes out and falls off a ladder, rendering him dead. [the Zabvronians have had a human gardener all this time?] The Bird-Kersees are not familiar with death, and Debbie also worries about how Max will take it, as he was friends with Juan. [hahahahaha at Debbie pretending to be Juan for Max!] The Zabvronians feel that the end of the world is upon them, so Marty explains that death is never painless and you can't see it coming. [ha!] They explain that humans are in denial that they're going to die - they just occupy themselves with other things, like cheeseburgers. Of course, Max questions death and his parents give him different answers. [murder-suicide! ha!] Then, the Weavers try to explain funerals to the neighborhood, who dress in Hawaiian garb for the "celebration of life."

ABC/ERIC MCCANDLESS

Jackie speaks, explaining that she thought he was half-man, half-machine at first. [hahahahaha!] Larry is determined to solve the problem of death, but ends up just resurrecting Juan, though he can't speak and doesn't know who anyone is. ["I've been working on the railroad" ?? love the Zabvronians sometimes!] But, in doing so, Larry used a vial from his father and can never do it again. [kinda odd, no?] Marty offers to take care of Larry's children if the worst should happen, but says that his sister will care for the Weaver kids if need be. [another funny line.] In the end, they decide to send Juan on a bus to New Brunswick, where he has family.

Cake Boss: Tanks, Baseball Diamonds, Busts, Magic

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

What was with Mary trying to help fill a cake? Anthony definitely looked at her like that is not the norm. And, sadly, that was probably the most interesting thing about that episode. The other was slightly more intriguing, especially with the gross magic trick and the sketch matching the cake pretty well. I also appreciated the focus on the family in both episodes - sometimes we go a while between seeing WifeLisa and the children, so it was nice for two of the cakes to be going to them. And, little Marco is just darling! I will note, however, that there seems to be a little bit of controversy on Marissa being credited as an "intern" at the bakery. Her tweets suggest that she's a full-time employee, and has been since Day One. Oh well, a small nitpick. Let's get going...

Cake Boss "Operation: Tank Cake" (S05E20): The army is turning 237 years old and Buddy is making two cakes for them - one is a tank for the event in NYC complete with a confetti canon, and one is a flat, camouflage cake that must make the 3-4 day trip to Afghanistan. [that is a LONG time to go without refrigeration! I wish they had shared what filling was used!]

Buddy's two oldest children are into sports now, with Buddy playing baseball and Sofia playing softball. Sofia's season is ending so Buddy designs a cake for the team. They struggle to figure out the best way to do it, and in the end Buddy isn't happy with it. [I didn't think it was bad, but I would have liked to see a rendering of what he was trying to accomplish.] Ralph thinks fireworks could save it, so Buddy goes with that and the kids are happy.

Cake Boss "Hocus Pocus" (S05E21): A magician from Times Square has his 500th performance coming up and wants to have an envelope containing what he believes the cake will look like placed inside the cake before it's baked. [that's different. he's got my attention! that was a really strange trick he did with the dental floss, tho!] Buddy wants to do a cake with doves from the shows and a nest based on Dan's hairstyle, and asks Marissa to help him with the project. She's pretty intimidated that other people aren't on it, too, but she's even more caught of-guard on the delivery when she's asked to assist in a trick. [interesting way to make ruffles. why was the lighting so red in that theater?] The drawing inside the cake base reveals doves on the top, razor blades on a three-tiered cake, and the guy's face on it, all of which were true. [neat. and freaky.]

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com

Marco has graduated from preschool and WifeLisa throws him a party, complete with a cake from Buddy. Marco really likes Ralph, so Ralph does a sculpture of Marco for the cake, which is chocolate with chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache, and chocolate chips. [that's a LOT of chocolate! more interesting, I thought, was that Ralph is Marco's favorite... I wonder why...]

Wedding Farm: Hawaiian Wedding; Zach's Announcement

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was surprised when I heard that this episode would feature the final wedding of the season for the Roloffs, but I'm sure that not all brides want to be filmed for television, so no big surprise there. I wonder how bookings for the next season are going - if they even decide to continue!  I had mixed feelings when I saw the preview for the next episode, featuring Matt and Amy's 25th wedding anniversary event, because you just know they're going to butt heads! Speaking of which, I thought that their attitudes toward Zach deciding to move out were interesting... it seems that he's kinda been directionless for some time now, especially if he's really stopped taking classes. I hope that this is just the step he needs to make some decisions about what he wants to do and he doesn't come running home before long. Besides, some coverage of how the three oldest Roloffs are doing off the farm could be cool, although I don't see Molly really giving the public much of a view of her life. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com
I didn't see any episode-specific images available for this one so I thought I'd share a map of the farm.

Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm "Matt Versus the Volcano" (S01E05): Matt has been trying to get Zach or Jacob to help around the farm but neither is really interested, especially Zach, who admits to his father that he's not really planning to make his life the property. [kudos to Zach for being honest.] In fact, Zach takes his parents to lunch to tell them that he wants to move in with some friends. Matt is surprised that Zach is willing to make a one-year commitment and Amy asks if he's planning to re-enroll in school. Privately, both wonder if Zach's ready to move out, with Amy figuring he'll return in six months and Matt thinking Zach's just wasting money. [you know what the family hasn't talked about in a long time now? Those LPA conferences. I wonder if they go and they're not filmed or if they've just been busy with other things. Maybe it could be helpful to Zach to see what other LPs are doing without his parents hovering.] 

Anyway, on with the wedding! A bride named Shannon wants a Hawaiian-themed wedding because her plans to marry in the Aloha State fell apart. The couple has been together for about seven years and have a six-year-old daughter together, though they've only been engaged for about a year. They want to invite 125 but the event is in just ten days so they estimate that only 80 or so will show. [that's crazy short notice!] Matt books a fire dancer and wants to build a beach, though he's thinking bigger than is needed. [as always, LoL!] He also wants to build a volcano, which Amy is okay with until he wants to add napalm to make a "boom." [I can't blame her!] He also wants more than baking soda and water, though the "lava" doesn't really end up working so they stick to fire and a fog machine instead. [I thought it was pretty neat, though I'm not sure it was as impressive in real life as it was on television.]

The big day-of struggles for this wedding includes kicking out a photographer whom wouldn't confirm with the couple in advance and the bride's gown being MIA for a while, causing the ceremony to start late. [I'm not sure how any period of time went by without someone realizing the dress wasn't there... either a bad wedding planner or bad bridesmaids, LoL! and what was with those leafy suspenders??]

Teen Mom 2: Kailyn & Chelsea Dumped, Jenelle & Leah Start Over

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So we have a few new developments with the girls this episode, which is nice. I get tired of how so many of the shows only give an update or two as the other girls are pretty status quo. This time around, however, Chelsea both studies for more GED tests AND gets dumped by Adam, Jenelle throws Jace a second birthday AND finds out she can give parole another shot, Leah starts dating Jeremy AND begins her college career, and Kailyn enjoys some girl time AND gets dumped by Jordan. I can't expect this sort of greatness every episode (because, let's face it, these aren't really the greatest updates anyway), but they're nice changes. Whose news were you most surprised to hear? I'm thinking Jenelle getting out of jail time.

Teen Mom 2 "Second Chances" (S03E05):
Jenelle: She makes a pact with her friend that neither will smoke weed anymore. [any bets on how long THAT will last?] She writes a letter to her probation officer about how she wants to stay clean and out of jail, and her plea is actually accepted. Jace turns two years old and they play with a slip-n-slide. [who opens presents THEN decorates THEN eats cake?]

I couldn't not share this. I saw it plastered around Facebook
this week and just about died laughing.

Kailyn: The new custody arrangement is working out and even gives Kailyn a chance to have some time with her friends. But, Jordan doesn't fully trust her after she cheated on him with Jo, so after she asks him for a break, he decides to start hanging out with another girl, completely forgetting their plans. [that's rough]

Chelsea: Adam tells her that it's not working out and she should blame her dad, but he just tells her to move on to someone who treats her better. [truth.] She's lonely as she studies for her GED so she decides to get a French bulldog puppy from a breeder, which she names, "Frankie." [why do people think that dogs will solve all of their problems??] 

Leah: She starts talking with Jeremy online and that quickly escalates to giving him her number and then going to ride go-karts together. [how awkward must it be to hear that your first date with a girl you only know online is going to be filmed for cable tv?] He works on pipelines so he works out-of-town. Her mom's friend watches the girls so Leah can go to her first day of classes, where she feels awkward for not knowing anyone. [yeah, well. that happens. you meet people.] But, Jeremy sent flowers to the classroom building so that brightens her day. [how did the guy in the hallway know they were for her?? the logistics of delivering and picking up flowers in a random office are strange.]

Next Great Baker: My Thoughts So Far

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The time has come... I'm going to start weighing in on what I think about each of the contestants. Three episodes have aired to date, so I think that sufficient time has passed for each person to have some solid screen time and really display their personalities, abilities, and work styles. I'm not known to pick the true winners (you may recall I was pretty fair-weather toward Marissa, last season's winner), so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Of course, feel free to weigh-in below! We also have a poll going on to the right, which we'll update weekly (four people did vote before I had a chance to take off Melissa, so technically Letty and Gretel-Ann have two votes each already).

Also, a disclosure. You may have noticed that I've been doing a series of articles on Jen for Examiner, which has caused some confusion over why I'm focusing on her over there. In a nutshell, a local entrepreneur on a television show is exactly the type of thing that I should cover as the San Jose TV Examiner, so that's the push there. You'll notice that I stay pretty objective on Examiner but critique as much as I want here, so that's also the reason for my "different stances" on her work. NOW, on to the show!

TLC

Letty: From going through her website, I can't say that I'm extremely impressed with her designs. She has some interesting pieces, but a lot are very simple. I would have guessed her strength was in the actual baking, as she doesn't seem to be familiar with building structures or stacking cakes. But, resorting to bark twice in three episodes doesn't really say "I'm awesome at baking." I don't despise self-described dictators the way some people do, but the way she treated Gretel-Ann's work on the Mexican blanket was terrible. I hope she goes home sooner than later.

Paul: I find his personality a little off, and he doesn't seem to be anyone's favorite coworker on the show, even before the sad way he was treated when Melissa was bumped. His cupcake designs aren't overly original, but I am rooting for him in a friend-of-a-friend way. His training is Navy-based, possibly the reason he's "a workhorse." I question his leadership at the moment, but I think time will tell us more. I'd like to see him stick around another couple of rounds, but I'm not sure he's the Next Great Baker. 

Chad: I've been meaning to try and find some of his previous television appearances on Food Network, as he is rather well-known in some pastry chef circles. I really like his designs, though many are a bit over-the-top. He is also always calling Buddy "chef," so between that and his fancy Chambord-and-chocolate ganache torte with pistachio crust, he seems to know how to handle himself in the kitchen. I was surprised that he'd run barefoot in Manhattan, but thought his leadership skills were pretty good with the first group cake. His teammates seem to admire him, even when his ambitious plans fail, which also says something about the way he impresses others. I mentioned before that he seems to pull his "I can do whatever you need me to" card, and I generally love that about someone. I hope to see him in the Top 3.

Gretel-Ann: I think she has talent in some areas of decorating and baking, but I'm not in love with her attitude. I'm also not clear on whether Cupp's is her second failing bakery or what exactly happened with Fischer's Fancies. I was glad that she wanted to nix the pinata, and her apple-cranberry crostada with cheddar pie dough sounded amazing. Her piping is not her strong skill, which I noticed on her personal version of the Groovy Girl as well. I liked how she stood by her team's dessert in the ingredients challenge, but I don't think she has what it takes to win this competition.

Peter: For some reason, the series isn't focusing too much on him, though I really like his personality. I also appreciate that he's more active on Twitter than some of the others and that he has a culinary background - as great as natural talent is, I'm an academic and appreciate the art of formal education. Furthermore, I think he's skilled in flavors and in decoration, especially for being one of the younger competitors. He has a thing or two to learn, but I'd like to see him in the Top 3.

Ashley: She's another contestant who hasn't had a ton of screentime. Her designs are not the most original, but they're very well-executed and I think she has a good eye for detail. Anyone with a rolling pin tattoo must be hardcore, and I was impressed with her suggestions for the Groom's Cake. I noticed that she was given the MVP award for her sculpted dog, but my excitement for her ability waned after she was the one who pushed for that rats-all-over-the-cake idea the following episode. I did like that she figured out the sculpted figures without prior experience, which made me wonder if that's why her piping wasn't the best - perhaps that's another area she hasn't done much? She's the candidate I'm most ambivalent about, but I see her doing well against her competitors.

Jen: She talks of loving a clean, precise cake, and her personal cakes show exquisite work... I, too, may have mistaken her buttercream for fondant in the photos. Her on-camera interview mentioning that she has made most of her staff cry and she's competitive aren't my favorite things about her, and I was disappointed that she "blanked" on an idea for the Superhero cake. The internet really seemed to bash her for "giving up" on the mechanics of that cake, but, honestly, if she had tried everything she could think of, I think letting someone else make a last-ditch effort was the right thing to do. I think she needs to be a team captain so that I can more solidly form an opinion, but for now I'd like to see her in the Top 3.

Chris: Part of me wonders if his one card to play is his airbrushing skills. If you only needed to be great at one part of cake decorating, even I could be a competitor. He claimed to be good at engineering, but not having your superhero move was a mistake. His eye for detail became apparent when he figured out the color scheme of the Groovy Girl cake, but it doesn't seem that his teammates give him a whole lot to do on the group cakes. Hopefully he'll get a chance to prove himself a little more, but otherwise I see him going home sooner than later. 

Jess: I was initially skeptical of her, as she seemed a bit meek and had very little internet presence. I've only seen a few of her designs, and while I find them lovely, I wonder about her smaller body of work in comparison to some of these other bakers. When she rapped her intro, it was interesting but too cutesy, which I don't know was her intent. In a nutshell, I just haven't been impressed with her yet, so I'm not really rooting for her.

Garrett: I like his personality and have been very impressed with his fondant work, up until that dog, anyway. [though, really, his first version of the monster wasn't awesome, either.] My problem with Garrett is how much he wants to prove to old peers that he's successful... pointing that out once was awkward, but bringing it up again while referencing Ralphie and his tormentors was a bit odd. While I would not have tried the peanut-butter-bacon-banana fried pie (pesto and amaretto are about the only nut-products I can handle), I was sad that Buddy dismissed it - such an original idea. I think he could handle himself throughout a few more rounds, but doubt he'll go to the top.

2 Broke Girls: The Shop is Open and Johnny is Back

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm still not thrilled that the girls have managed to open their cupcake shop so soon, but I'm sure we'll see more hijinks now that there's a new location besides the diner and the little apartment. I mean, Caroline's avoiding her Wharton buddies is bound to be pure gold for laughs! Plus, Han not being able to get into the party was hilarious, take a look at the picture below! My husband and I both groaned at the prospect of Johnny returning to the show, but I'm pretty thankful that it seems he was short-lived. As happy as he seems to make Max, I don't like him and I don't like how they are together. Of course, that could be because, as they put it, they're better when Johnny is actually with someone else.

2 Broke Girls "And the Big Opening" (S02E10): [who doesn't know how to play "Marry, Sleep with, or Kill"??] Caroline gets people to donate their time to help Max's Cupcakes open by pretending that they're holding a benefit for eczema, undescended testicles, etc. [haha. could have gone farther with that, I think. Andy not listening to Caroline's demand that he wear a suit was interesting.] Max invites seven of her ex-boyfriends, intending to rub her success in their faces. [I thought it was interesting that the show decided to mention that Max did not invite her mother because the woman believes Max to have committed suicide two years ago.] Robbie shows up, says that he needs to make amends [ha! "almonds"] because he's an alcoholic, and that he used to cheat on her daily and steal from her whenever they had sex. [how tragic!] Johnny arrives, hits on Max, and says that he never married his fiance because she wasn't the one for him. [that gumball scene was unimpressive.]

Darren Michaels/Warner Bros.

Johnny winds up spending the night with Max and becomes the cupcakery's biggest customer. ["the ballz" ?? that's a phrase now?] Of course, instead of selling 70 per day like they need to, the girls have only sold four (all to Johnny) in the first three days. Max realizes that she and Johnny aren't great in the current circumstances, so he's out.

Also, Sophie leaves for Poland because she received a fax that her dream house is complete. She's planning to be gone for a month and believed the cupcakery grand opening to be a goodbye party for her. [she lost a ball and chain inside herself? and thinks that she should have tied a string to it? omg.]

Cupcakery Savings Total: $5,328.00 [$2,000 on the party?]

2 Broke Girls "And the Silent Partner" (S02E11): Business is still slow, so they let an elderly lady negotiate them from $4 to $3 for a cupcake. [um, $4 is a lot. even in NYC. I won't even pay $2.50 for a cupcake unless it's a special occasion.] Plus, there's some confusion over whether Sophie's $20,000 was a gift or a loan, though Caroline is determined to keep everyone believing that it was a gift. To cheer their depressed friend (Sophie is back early from her Polish trip because her contractor ripped her off) Max decides to make Sophie a silent partner to brighten her day. [the comments to Sophie's grooming were a bit much. and Max only earned $27 in tips in eight hours? boo.] But, "silent" isn't just monetary for her - she adds a chandelier and starts selling hoagies, scratch-offs, Fresca, and pickled eggs to draw business.

Caroline is really unhappy about how things are going, but before she can confront Sophie, one of her old business school peers shows up, as she works in the area. Caroline lies, claiming to own a cupcake empire at age 25. [what else would you expect her to say?] When she leaves, Sophie suggests that Max and Caroline dress up as cupcakes and hand out samples, which humiliates them. [LoL. my brother had a job where he had to wear a costume and wave by the road. not the best.] Luckily, Sophie soon has to try doing it, too, and isn't thrilled.

In a separate storyline, CandyAndy is planning to tell Caroline that he is in love with her, but Max tells him that he needs to come up with a romantic setting for that. [he already loves her??] He thinks about playing a song for her outside her apartment with a boombox or sharing cocoa and a hotdog on the ice rink of Central Park, but he settles for saying it when he's on the toilet and she's stuck in the doorway dressed as a cupcake. [oh, television!]

Cupcakery Savings Total: $3,328.00. [another month's rent was due already?]